Rita Hester
Rita Hester | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 30, 1963 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | November 28, 1998 (aged 34) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Known for | Murder inspired Transgender Day of Remembrance |
Rita Hester (30 November 1963[1] – 28 November 1998) was a transgender African American woman who was murdered in Allston (Boston), Massachusetts, on November 28, 1998.[2]
Hester was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1964. She moved to Boston in her early twenties and became involved in the local rock community.[3]
Hester was murdered while at home on November 28th, 1998,[4] being stabbed twenty times by an unknown assailant.[3] In response to her murder, an outpouring of grief and anger led to a candlelight vigil held the following Friday (December 4th) in which about 250 people participated. The vigil was led by Rev. Irene Monroe.[4] The community's struggle to see Rita's life and identity covered respectfully by local papers, including the Boston Herald and Bay Windows, was chronicled by Nancy Nangeroni.[5] Her death also inspired the "Remembering Our Dead" web project and the Transgender Day of Remembrance,[6] founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith in 1999.
The city of Boston commissioned artist Rixy to paint a mural memorializing Hester in Allston.[7] The mural was completed in July 2022.[8]
The Hub of the Gay Universe: An LGBTQ History of Boston, Provincetown, and Beyond includes several quotes from people who knew her: “Rita Hester was statuesque and glamorous. Usually clad in her favorite colors, black and purple, perhaps in a slinky tube dress adorned with ruffles, she was a familiar figure both at Allston bars such as the Model Cafe and the Silhoutte Lounge and at Jacque’s Cabaret.” Another friend fondly remembered that Hester “liked to wear opera-length gloves with rings on top, big pieces of costume jewelry”. p.283
References
- ^ "'Everybody knew Rita': Decades later, still no answers in slaying of Black trans woman". NBC News. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
- ^ 'Remembering Rita Hester' Archived 2013-01-15 at the Wayback Machine November 15, 2008, Edge Boston
- ^ a b "'Everybody knew Rita': Decades later, still no answers in slaying of Black trans woman". NBC News. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ a b Riedel, Samantha (2022-03-31). "Remembering Rita Hester, Who Changed What It Means to Remember Trans Lives". Them. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ Nancy Nangeroni (1999-02-01). "Rita Hester's Murder and the Language of Respect". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Irene Monroe (2010-11-19). "Remembering Trans Heroine Rita Hester". Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ McQuaid, Cate (April 26, 2022). "In Rixy's world, cardboard beats canvas and the femmes are fierce - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "Mural Installed Honoring Rita Hester in Allston | Boston.gov". www.boston.gov. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2024-03-09.