The Life and Death of Latisha King: A Critical Phenomenology of Transphobia

Salamon’s new book, The Life and Death of Latisha King (NYU Press), examines a single event that occurred in a classroom in Oxnard, California in 2008 — the shooting of 15-year-old Latisha King by 14-year-old Brandon McInerney in their junior high school. Latisha King was born a male at birth, but identified as a trans girl. In covering the event, many media outlets referred to Latisha as a gay boy named Larry, using her birth name rather than her chosen name. Salamon examines the ramifications of this false representation, transphobia, and the violence against gender-nonconforming bodies.