Austin police misgender trans woman killed in Target parking lot shooting

Police in Texas repeatedly misgendered a transgender victim killed in a series of violent crimes this week. While authorities have now identified victim Rosa Martinez Machuca by the name she used in everyday life, official documents continue to misgender her.

On Monday, police responded to reports of a shooting and found Martinez Machuca had been shot in front of a Target where she worked, according to the Austin Police Department. Martinez Machuca was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead. Authorities also found Adam Chow and his four-year-old granddaughter dead at the scene. Within an hour of the shooting, police arrested Ethan Nieneker, 32, for the crimes.

But police initially misgendered Martinez Machuca in reports, something that quickly drew criticism from those in the local LGBTQ+ community. Texas notably banned residents last year from updating gender on government documents to align with their current gender identity instead of their sex assigned at birth.

Drag queen and trans rights activist Brigitte Bandit posted a video on Instagram about the issue of misgendering Martinez Machuca.

“The Target employee that was shot and killed yesterday was a trans woman," Bandit said. "And she’s being deadnamed by the police and the media right now, but her name is Rosa Martinez. And that needs to be corrected, and she needs to be recognized for who she was."

“The violence against trans people in this city is out of fu--ing control,” she continued.

Although the Austin Police Department issued an update on X acknowledging Martinez Machuca’s identity the day after the shooting, the update incorrectly used they/them pronouns.

“It has come to the attention of the Austin Police Department that [Martinez Machuca] was known to many in their community as Rosa. In the interest of respecting all who knew and loved them, including their immediate family, we believe it is important to honor and acknowledge them as they lived their life,” a post reads.

Bandit noted that the post should have used she/her pronouns and that the update was shared with an image of the Nieneker, who was arrested for the crimes, not Martinez Machuca.

“THIS IS NOT OKAY. APD posted an update for Rosa with a photo of the shooter and does not make it clear that they are discussing the VICTIM. people on socials are using this to spread more transphobia,” Bandit wrote. “Also, deadnaming and using they/them pronouns for a trans woman is NOT OKAY APD.”

However, the update prompted local media, which had previously gathered information from the original press release, to update the victim’s identity in news articles, Bandit wrote.