Mother of Taylor Casey was hesitant to reveal her trans gender identity until now
|
Click to Listen Now
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The mother of Taylor Casey, the woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month on a yoga retreat, is just now revealing that Taylor is a transgender woman, as the search seems to hit a stalemate and detectives are stumped by her disappearance.
When she first disappeared, CSJ Report learned of her transgender identity when family and friends spoke in a Zoom meeting about her “large footprint” in the trans community in Chicago. But they never officially identified her as such, and neither did Bahamian authorities.
Now three weeks into the search, friends in a press statement disclosed her gender identity: ‘Community Urgently Seeks Help in Finding Beloved, Black Trans Advocate Missing Since June 20’
Seymore revealed to NBC why she shielded Taylor’s identity: “The focus was going to be taken off of finding my child, my child being missing and that they were going to put the focus on ‘oh, Taylor’s transgender,’ which should not be the focus at all.
“It should be the focus is finding Taylor, an American, human being citizen that’s missing in the Bahamas.”
Seymore who criticized Bahamas police for not doing enough to find Taylor, said her child would have already been found if she was white and heterosexual.
“Without a doubt. Without a doubt. There would have been way more effort. The investigation would have been done properly, the way it should have been done.”
Some took to social media, scolding the family for shielding Taylor’s gender identity.
“Sadly, they should have revealed transgenderism right away. You need a detailed description to find someone,” one user said.
Another said, “They should have said immediately that Taylor is transgender. That’s a huge component to this case.”
In a press conference on Thursday, the family honored Taylor’s 42nd birthday and urged Chicago officials to call for FBI intervention in the disappearance.
Taylor’s phone has been found in waters near where she stayed, but her passport remains missing.
Her trip to the Bahamas was supposed to be a month-long training in yoga instructions at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island but nearly two weeks into the course, she reportedly disappeared.
Bahamian authorities are expected to give the family an update on Friday.
