Sumaya Dalmar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988 or 1989 Somalia |
| Died | (aged 26) |
| Other names | Sumaya YSL |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, model |
Sumaya Dalmar, also known as Sumaya YSL,[1] was a Somali-Canadian transgender activist[2] and model. Sumaya was one of the earliest Somalis to come out as transgender and LGBT as a whole.
Dalmar was born in Somalia and left during the outbreak of the Somali Civil War at the age of three.[3] Dalmar's biological parents disowned her when she came out as trans to them in 2011.[4] The Toronto-based[5] Muslim[6] died in mysterious circumstances on 22 February 2015 at the age of 26. It was an event that was compared to other acts of violence against trans women of colour,[7] especially during the early months of 2015 when such incidents were reportedly occurring at a particularly high rate,[8] but police have since discounted the occurrence of a homicide.[1]
In 2013, she was the primary actor for a play and documentary that attempted to intersect the relationship between the Somali ethnicity, religiosity, and its correlation to masculinity during a project called "An Intimate Portrait of Somalian Trans-Woman" by Abdi Osman.[2][3] By 2014, she was the subject of an art exhibition and had become qualified as a speech therapist.[9] Dalmar, who had the middle name Dasia,[1] also featured in other ventures, such as scheduling to begin employment at an LGBT community center called The 519.[10] One commentator praised the degree of visibility she has given the trans community.[11] In 2018 friends and community members established in recognition of her life's work the Sumaya Dalmar Award for trans students of colour.[12]