You may never have heard of Chanelle Pickett, but her killing on Nov. 20, 1995, was the impetus behind the creation of the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Chanelle Pickett

Chanelle and her twin sister Gabrielle were born Aug. 6, 1972, in New York City. Assigned female at birth, the two began dressing in their mother's clothes and wearing her lipstick around the age of seven. They hid their gender identity from their mother until she found out when they were 12 years old. As a consequence, she put them into foster care.

The duo were unintentionally outed when one of their foster parents told a teacher, and although told in confidence, this confidential information spread throughout their high school.

In 1993, they moved to Boston, and while there they appeared on the nationally syndicated Jenny Jones talk show. On it, they were identified as "boys living as girls" and subjected to uncomfortable questions from the host and disapproving gasps from the audience.

Around this same time, they were employed by a regional telephone company. But after continued harassment by a supervisor who knew they were transgender, they quit. Unemployed and broke, Chanelle drifted into sex work.

One evening in November 1995, the two young trans women drinking at the Playland Café. Located near the city's red-light district, It was the oldest gay bar in Boston at the time. While there, they met William C. Palmer.

Palmer was a computer programmer, clean-cut looking, with short-cropped hair and wire rim glasses. The Pickett sisters had drinks with Palmer and eventually they left together, stopping first at the women's home. Gabrielle decided to stay behind, while Chanelle went on with Palmer.

They ended up at Palmer's apartment that he shared with several others. He and Chanelle went to Palmer's room, where they began to get romantic. What exactly happened next is unclear. Palmer claimed he was shocked to find out that Chanelle was transgender and that at that point, Chanelle reacted violently back to him.

The next morning, Palmer swore he found Chanelle unresponsive next to him in bed. It was nearly 12 hours after their fight before anyone called the police.

Upon finding Chanelle dead, Palmer told police that she may have hit her head against a humidifier during their struggle. This contradicted the forensic evidence that showed Chanelle was severally beaten and strangled.

Two years later, Palmer went to trial on first degree murder charges for killing Chanelle Pickett. At the end, the jury found him not guilty of that charge, but guilty of assault and battery. He was sentenced to a 2½ year prison sentence.

Outrage over this light sentence and the apparent minimization of a trans woman's murder, spread throughout the local transgender community. Eventually, this outrage led to the designation of November 20th each year, the anniversary of her tragic death, as the somber holiday of the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Rest In Power, Chanelle Pickett (Aug. 6, 1972-Nov. 20, 1995)