The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP), an organization serving LGBTQ immigrants in custody, held a vigil on March 12 to honor the lives of two late transgender individuals.
The community gathered at 308 West 46th Street to pay tribute to Faby Federick, who died last year, and Effie Anio Richardson, who recently passed away.
“It was an intimate and emotional night for everyone that came out,” QDEP wrote in a Facebook post on March 13. “We all cried together, mourned together, laughed together, and ate together.”
Federick escaped Costa Crepo and headed to the United States, but experienced homelessness in Los Angeles. Federick suffered through a grueling year in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and eventually wound in New York to be trained as a chef. Federick died by suicide one year ago this month.
People who knew Federick recalled a kind soul who had a sense of humor.
Iman Le Caire, who founded Trans Asylias and was close to Richardson, helped lead the event and sang chants. Richardson hailed from Jamaica and fled to France before succumbing to cancer.
“Faby and Effie should have still been with us but they both died due to the horrible systems we live in,” QDEP wrote on Facebook. “We will continue to honor and remember them and their names will never be erased from our lips.”
