Trans man shot dead by police then misgendered by media
A trans man who was shot dead by police has been misgendered by media reports following his death.
Kayden Clark, a 24 year old trans man from Arizona was shot dead after police were called to an attempted suicide.
Clark, who lived with Asperger’s Syndrome, reportedly went for police with a knife, and was shot dead. 
The victim lived with anxiety and self harm, and was the subject of a viral video last year saying he had an “Asperger’s meltdown”, while his Rottweiler Samson, attempted to help him.
Media reports following Clark’s death used female pronouns, and referred to him using his previous name.
Reports also included quotation marks around the phrase ‘preferred name’. Some used the name Kayden, but still used female pronouns.
Police spokespeople also misgendered Clark, referring to him only by his previous name and using female pronouns.
Detective Esteban Flores also misgendered Clark in quotations given to local media.
“She had one knife that we know of, she had something else we’re not sure what it was, the officers said it was dark inside the room,” Flores said to AZFamily.com.
“When she made contact with them she approached them with the knife, extended it out, and they felt threatened.”
In a video of Clark from December, he announced that he had begun to transition. “I can breathe,” he said. “The anxiety’s gone.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and need to talk to someone, visit samaritans.org or call 08457 90 90 90.
