Elie Che
{{Short description|British transgender woman (1998–2020)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Elie Che
| image =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1998|04|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = United Kingdom
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|8|31|1998|04|10|df=y}}{{Cite news |date=20 November 2020 |title=Trans Day of Remembrance: 'When one of us is hurt, we all feel it' |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-54992071 |access-date=22 November 2020}}
| death_place = The Bronx, New York, US
| death_cause = Drowning
}}
Elie Che (10 April 1998 – 31 August 2020) was a British transgender woman. Her death in August 2020 became high-profile due to her prominence in the London queer nightlife scene, as well as the cultural focus on the deaths of transgender people due to their disproportionately shorter life expectancy.{{Cite web |date=3 September 2020 |title=UK Trans Icon Elie Che Found Dead |url=https://www.papermag.com/elie-che-found-dead-2647449846.html?rebelltitem=6#rebelltitem6?rebelltitem=6 |access-date=22 August 2021 |website=PAPER |language=en}}
Life and career
Che was born on 10 April 1998.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} She had relocated to New York City from Atlanta shortly before her death, to pursue her transition surrounded by other trans women of colour. Che had previously lived in London for three years where she has been described as a trans icon. She hoped to find work in fashion. Che had walked for runway shows, as well as posed for multiple magazines.{{Cite web |last=Slater |first=Karl |date=23 April 2018 |title=Obsessed with.. Devin, Elijah and Rafael |url=https://www.kaltblut-magazine.com/obsessed-with-devin-elijah-and-rafael/ |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2021 |website=KALTBLUT Magazine |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603142015/http://www.kaltblut-magazine.com:80/obsessed-with-devin-elijah-and-rafael/ |archive-date=3 June 2018 }}{{Cite web |last=Slater |first=Karl |date=10 March 2018 |title=Retro-futurisim by Karl Slater x Grace Ellington |url=https://www.kaltblut-magazine.com/retro-futurisim-karl-slater-x-grace-ellington/ |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2021 |website=KALTBLUT Magazine |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317031128/http://www.kaltblut-magazine.com:80/retro-futurisim-karl-slater-x-grace-ellington/ |archive-date=17 March 2018 }}{{Cite web |last=Lehmann |first=Melanie |title=Dear Self |url=https://www.polyesterzine.com/scrapbook/dear-self |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2021 |website=Polyester Zine |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822200431/https://www.polyesterzine.com/scrapbook/dear-self |archive-date=22 August 2021 }} Che was featured in the BBC's Other Voices documentary series. She also wrote a poem for the documentary.{{Cite web |date=11 October 2019 |title=This is Who I Am: 'I want to reclaim the often misplaced voice' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/56ClklGYZZkBwn5S66ccQ29/this-is-who-i-am-i-want-to-reclaim-the-often-misplaced-voice |url-status=live |website=BBC Arts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014225053/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/56ClklGYZZkBwn5S66ccQ29/this-is-who-i-am-i-want-to-reclaim-the-often-misplaced-voice |archive-date=14 October 2019 }}{{Cite web |title=Other Voices |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07phrgc |url-status=live |access-date=15 December 2020 |website=BBC |date=29 September 2019 |publisher=BBC Arts |type=video|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004210356/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07phrgc |archive-date=4 October 2019 }}
Before her death, Che had been crowdfunding to support her move to New York and her medical transition, and had told supporters of her GoFundMe that her goal was to live past the age of 35.{{Cite web |last=Lins |first=LaTesa |date=5 September 2020 |title=U.K Trans Model Elie Che Body Found On Orchard Beach in N.Y, Vigil to be Held |url=https://www.gayemagazine.com/post/u-k-trans-model-elie-che-body-has-been-found-on-orchard-beach-in-n-y |access-date=15 December 2020 |website=Gaye Magazine |language=en}}
Death
Che was found dead at the water's edge at Orchard Beach in The Bronx, New York, on Monday, 31 August 2020. Her death was ruled as accidental drowning.{{Cite web |last=Garber |first=Nick |date=4 September 2020 |title=Transgender Harlem Woman Died From Accidental Drowning: Coroner |url=https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/transgender-harlem-woman-died-accidental-drowning-coroner |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2021 |website=Harlem, NY Patch |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915054202/https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/transgender-harlem-woman-died-accidental-drowning-coroner |archive-date=15 September 2020 }} She was 22 years old at the time of death. {{Cite web |last=Greene |first=David |date=6 September 2020 |title=Transgender Woman's Death Ruled Accidental Drowning at Orchard Beach |url=https://www.norwoodnews.org/transgender-womans-death-ruled-accidental-drowning-at-orchard-beach/ |url-status=live |access-date=22 November 2020 |website=Norwood News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907002120/https://www.norwoodnews.org/transgender-womans-death-ruled-accidental-drowning-at-orchard-beach/ |archive-date=7 September 2020 }}
Before the cause of death was revealed, many media outlets and trans rights activists assumed that her death was related to violence. Transgender women of color are frequently the target of hate crimes. A 2018 FBI report found that of the hate crimes reported that year on the basis of sexual orientation bias, 24.9 per cent were victims of anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (mixed group) bias. The National Center for Transgender Quality reported that 28 transgender people had been murdered in the first half of 2020, compared to 26 for all of 2019. Of these 28 victims, 23 had been transgender women, with the NCTQ noting that "the epidemic of violence is particularly pronounced for Black and Latina trans women."{{Cite web |date=7 August 2020 |title=Murders of Transgender People in 2020 Surpasses Total for Last Year In Just Seven Months |url=https://transequality.org/blog/murders-of-transgender-people-in-2020-surpasses-total-for-last-year-in-just-seven-months |access-date=22 November 2020 |website=National Center for Transgender Equality}}
The London Trans+ Pride event in 2020 was held in honour of Elie Che.{{Cite web |last=Parsons |first=Vic |date=8 September 2020 |title=Trans icon Elie Che moved to New York because UK healthcare is so woeful. She was found dead less than a month later |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/09/08/elie-che-death-tribute-london-vigil-black-trans-femme-new-york-uk-healthcare/ |url-status=live |access-date=22 November 2020 |website=Pink News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911214216/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/09/08/elie-che-death-tribute-london-vigil-black-trans-femme-new-york-uk-healthcare/ |archive-date=11 September 2020 }}{{Cite web |last=Devaney |first=Susan |date=14 September 2020 |title=40 Galvanising Photos From The Trans Pride March In London |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/gallery/london-trans-pride-march |url-status=live |access-date=15 December 2020 |website=British Vogue |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915193842/https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/gallery/london-trans-pride-march |archive-date=15 September 2020 }}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Cite AV media |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07phrgc |title=Other Voices |date=29 September 2019 |type=video |language=En |publisher=BBC Arts}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Che, Elie}}
Category:British female models
Category:Black British LGBTQ people
Category:British emigrants to the United States
Category:Transgender rights activists
Category:Transgender female models