Gender Non-Conforming Entrepreneur Gunned Down In Recent String Of Chicago Homicides

Dominic Dupree, a 25-year-old gender non-conforming entrepreneur, was gunned down on Oct. 13 on the South Side of Chicago. The killing marks another recent uptick of gun violence in the city, in which law enforcement reported the lowest total of homicides since 2019 in September, WTTW reports.

Dupree’s family, as well as LGBTQ support groups, have raised speculation that their death may have been a hate crime. “Dominic had an entrepreneurial spirit and was passionate about providing services to help others.

“Dominic was only 25, loved by so many people, and surely had so much more to give,” said Tori Cooper, Human Rights Campaign director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative. “We must all work to stop the horrific gun violence that too often takes the lives of Black transgender and gender non-conforming people.”

Dupree was said to be sitting in a vehicle in Chicago on Oct. 13 that was approached and fired upon by an unidentified suspect, WTTW reports. Presently, there have been no arrests made.

Dupree became the 32nd transgender or gender non-conforming person in the U.S. to reportedly meet a violent death in 2023 and the 17th to be killed with a gun. Since 2013, 231 other transgender and gender non-conforming people have died by firearm, a number that accounts for over 70% of all deaths identified, the Human Rights Campaign reports.

A 2022 report also found that more than 10,000 hate crimes involve a firearm, totaling approximately 28 attacks per day. Hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people have been on a steady rise since 2018, with a 41% increase in crimes directed toward an individual due to their gender identity. The Southern Poverty Law Center found that anti-LGBTQ hate groups grew by over 40% in 2019.

Illinois currently has protections in place for transgender and gender non-conforming people to prevent them from being discriminated against in employment, housing, and education; however, uphill battles persist in keeping individuals safe whose gender identities often make them a target.