Jazzie Collins, a San Francisco transgender activist, died Thursday, July 11th, at Kaiser Permanente Hospital. She had been in poor health for several weeks, and passed away surrounded by loving friends. The cause of her death is still being determined.
Collins' activist legacy spanned more than a decade and involved a wide range of causes. She began organizing in 2002, and worked with many different organizations. She organized around development issues at the Plaza Hotel, and organized for Senior and Disability Action. She was vice chair of San Francisco's LGBT Aging Policy Taskforce.
For the past five years, Collins served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Trans March, an event held during Pride Month to celebrate the lives of transgender people. Trans March is currently running an Indiegogo campaign to pay for Collins' end-of-life expenses, including her funeral and the travel costs for her family. The page states:
"We will not receive funds raised until well after many expenses are due, so many of the agencies Jazzie was involved with and some of her close friends will be paying things upfront. Funds raised in this campaign will be used to reimburse them. In the event that there's any extra money after all expenses are paid, it will be split between all the agencies Jazzie was involved with so they can continue to uphold Jazzie's legacy."
GLAAD mourns the loss of such a beloved and influential member of the activist community, and we encourage those who are able to contribute to help give Jazzie the funeral service she deserves.