Sumaya Dalmar

{{Short description|Somali-Canadian trans activist}} {{Infobox person | name = Sumaya Dalmar | image =  | alt = | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{Birth date based on age at death|26|2015|02|22}} | birth_place = Somalia | death_date = {{Death date and given age|2015|02|22|26}} | death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | nationality = | other_names = Sumaya YSL | occupation = Activist, model | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }}

'''Sumaya Dasia Dalmar''', also known as Sumaya YSL,<ref name="Advocate - not homicide">{{cite news | url=https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/02/25/toronto-police-trans-woman-colors-death-was-not-homicide | title=Toronto Police: Trans Woman of Color's Death Was Not Homicide | work=The Advocate | date=25 February 2015 | accessdate=12 March 2016}}</ref> was a Somali-Canadian transgender activist<ref name="somalitrans">[http://artsandscience.usask.ca/iccc/news/news.php?newsid=3078 ''College of Arts and Science''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926015343/http://artsandscience.usask.ca/iccc/news/news.php?newsid=3078 |date=2015-09-26 }} Ellen Trish Salah, September 7, 2015</ref> and model. Dalmar was one of the earliest Somalis to come out as transgender and LGBT as a whole.

== Early life == Dalmar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and left during the outbreak of the Somali Civil War at the age of three.<ref name="pinknews.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/02/25/police-investigating-the-death-of-young-somali-trans-woman-in-canada/ |title=Police investigating the death of young Somali trans woman in Canada|work=PinkNews|accessdate=2 October 2015|date=2015-02-25}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Olsen |first=Deidre |date=March 28, 2018 |title=Ryerson launches first scholarship for racialized trans students |url=https://nowtoronto.com/lifestyle/ryerson-launches-first-scholarship-for-racialized-trans-students/ |access-date=2026-01-25 |website=NOW Toronto |language=en-CA}}</ref> Her family moved to Vancouver, Canada.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=June 4, 2020 |title=Friends of transgender woman turn their grief into a gift with scholarship fund |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sumaya-dalmar-1.4582866 |access-date=January 23, 2026 |work=CBC}}</ref> She was Muslim and transgender, and faced transphobia, Islamophobia, and racism.<ref name=":0" /> She moved to Toronto, Canada, in 2009 to transition.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" /> Dalmar's biological parents disowned her when she came out as trans to them in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://planettransgender.com/sumaya-ysls-friends-speak-out-about-her-death/|title=Sumaya Ysl's Friends Speak Out About Her Death|work=Planet Transgender|accessdate=2 October 2015|date=2015-02-26|archive-date=2015-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926033722/http://planettransgender.com/sumaya-ysls-friends-speak-out-about-her-death/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Later life == In 2012, Dalmar was the primary actor for a play and documentary by Abdi Osman, called ''Labeeb'', "an intimate portrait of Sumaya, a Somali trans-woman".<ref name="somalitrans" /><ref name="pinknews.co.uk" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Osman |first=Abdi |date=June 25, 2014 |title=2014 June 22: An intimate portrait of Somalian trans-woman |url=https://inkanyiso.org/2014/06/25/2014-june-22-an-intimate-portrait-of-somalian-trans-woman/ |access-date=2026-01-25 |website=Inkanyiso |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Labeeb |url=https://vtape.org/video?vi=8887 |access-date=2026-01-25 |website=VTape}}</ref> It explored gender, sexuality, and religiosity in the Somali community.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Alex V. |date=June 14, 2018 |title="Each death is a preventable tragedy" |url=https://this.org/2018/06/14/each-death-is-a-preventable-tragedy/ |access-date=2026-01-25 |website=This Magazine}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> One video shows her performing a Somali ritual designated for women preparing for special occasions, and another film shows her during daily moments. The exhibit also included photographs of Dalmar in candid moments and in the studio.<ref name=":6" />

By 2014, Dalmar had become qualified as a speech therapist.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/another-heartbreak-somali-canadian-trans-woman-sumaya-dalmar-found-dead-in-toronto-this-weekend-278564/ |title=Another Heartbreak: Somali-Canadian Trans Woman Sumaya Dalmar Found Dead in Toronto This Weekend|work=Autostraddle|accessdate=2 October 2015|date=February 24, 2015|last=Brighe|first=Mari}}</ref> She worked at Banu, a restaurant in Queen Street West, Toronto.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|title=Black Lives Matter’s Controversial Protest Helped Pride Get Back to Its Political Roots|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/black-lives-matters-controversial-protest-helped-pride-get-back-to-its-political-roots/|website=VICE|date=July 6, 2016|access-date=2026-01-25|language=en-US|first=Samira|last=Mohyeddin}}</ref> She was also a model and adult-film actress.<ref name=":1" /> Dalmar was scheduled to begin employment at an LGBT community center called The 519 the day after she died.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://xtramagazine.com/power/sumaya-dalmar-had-so-much-more-life-to-live-66564|title=Sumaya Dalmar had 'so much more life to live'|work=Xtra Magazine|accessdate=January 23, 2026|archive-date=26 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926020155/http://www.dailyxtra.com/toronto/news-and-ideas/news/sumaya-dalmar-much-life-live%E2%80%99-100081|url-status=dead|date=March 6, 2015|last=Watson|first=HG}}</ref> She was going to work in their education and training department.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ratchford |first=Sarah |date=March 25, 2015 |title=Community Seeks Answers From Police Following Toronto Transwoman’s Death |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/community-seeks-answers-from-police-following-toronto-transwomans-death-296/ |access-date=2026-01-24 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref>

Dalmar was well-known in the Somali and LGBTQ communities of Toronto.<ref name=":7" /><ref name="firstsomalitransgender" /> She attended a program at the Supporting Our Youth LGBTQ organization and became a key part of Black Queer Youth, one of their support groups.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Halani |first=Serena |date=April 6, 2018 |title=Ryerson University announces scholarship for racialized trans students |url=https://charlatan.ca/ryerson-university-announces-scholarship-for-racialized-trans-students/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Charlatan |language=en-US}}</ref> One commentator praised the degree of visibility she has given the trans community.<ref name="firstsomalitransgender">{{Cite web|title=Unanswered Questions Following Death of Toronto Trans Woman of Colour|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/unanswered-questions-following-death-of-toronto-trans-woman-of-colour-497/|website=VICE|date=2015-02-26|access-date=2026-01-25|language=en-US|first=Muna|last=Mire}}</ref>

==Death and response== Dalmar died in mysterious circumstances on 22 February 2015 at the age of 26.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Ontario/Metro+Morning/ID/2655974139/ |title=Remembering Sumaya Dalmar|date=20 October 2014|work=CBC|accessdate=2 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sumaya-ysl-death-toronto-police-investigate-death-of-young-somali-trans-woman-in-canada-10069335.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226060625/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sumaya-ysl-death-toronto-police-investigate-death-of-young-somali-trans-woman-in-canada-10069335.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |title=Sumaya Ysl death: Toronto police investigate death of young Somali trans woman in Canada|author=Adam Withnall|date=25 February 2015|work=The Independent|accessdate=2 October 2015}}</ref> It was an event that was compared to other acts of violence against trans women of colour,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fashionmagazine.com/scene/2015/08/26/womens-equality-day/|title=Happy Women's Equality Day! The good, the bad and the work-in-progress|work=FASHION Magazine|accessdate=2 October 2015|archive-date=26 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926021304/http://www.fashionmagazine.com/scene/2015/08/26/womens-equality-day/|url-status=dead}}</ref> especially during the early months of 2015 when such incidents were reportedly occurring at a particularly high rate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://planettransgender.com/trans-people-ban-together-and-ask-can-you-stop-killing-us-for-one-week/|title=A Transgender person is being murdered every 29 hours. Can you stop killing us for just one week?|work=Planet Transgender|accessdate=2 October 2015|date=2015-02-23|archive-date=2015-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926031617/http://planettransgender.com/trans-people-ban-together-and-ask-can-you-stop-killing-us-for-one-week/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Her death was discussed widely on social media, with many speculating that it was a homicide.<ref name=":1" />

A public memorial for Dalmar was held at The 519 on March 3, 2015. A private memorial was held in its ballroom that afternoon. Later it expanded into a candlelight vigil at Barbara Hall Park for the community. Many people attended who had not known Dalmar, with Monica Forrester explaining that Dalmar's death had a large impact on Toronto's African-Caribbean community.<ref name=":2" /> Her friends raised funds online for the memorial and held a party that night to collect donations for a scholarship in Dalmar's name.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2" />

Police discounted the occurrence of a homicide in social media posts on February 25.<ref name="Advocate - not homicide" /> They closed the investigation that May, stating later that a thorough investigation found no evidence of a suspicious death. An autopsy and toxicology reports had been performed, but the autopsy was inconclusive. Police did not publicly release a cause of death for the stated reason of protecting Dalmar's privacy.<ref name=":0" />

Many in her community remained mistrustful of the police, with friends and trans activists trying to push for further investigation, and feeling frustration at lack of police outreach. Critics labeled this as part of a trend of neglect they saw in Toronto police relationships to the city's LGBTQ community, particularly its trans women.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name="firstsomalitransgender" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=A searing exposé of anti-Black racism in Canada|url=https://xtramagazine.com/power/anti-black-racism-canada-desmond-cole-166411|access-date=2026-01-23|language=en-CA|date=January 27, 2020|website=Xtra Magazine|last=Cole|first=Desmond|author-link=Desmond Cole}}</ref> Some critics have compared the police response to Dalmar's death to their treatment of Cassandra Do and Alloura Wells.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":2" />

Black Lives Matter led the Trans March during Pride Toronto 2016, holding a banner with Dalmar's photo at the front of the march.<ref name=":8" /> Black Lives Matter Toronto member Leroi Newbold said in 2016 that "we can’t live with dignity when our Black trans sisters can be disappeared and murdered within the vicinity that we live with impunity, and the police aren’t held accountable with finding out what happened to them, such as what happened to Sumaya Dalmar."<ref name=":4" /> The group remembered Dalmar, along with Philando Castile, Andrew Loku, and Amleset Haile, at the 2017 Toronto Pride Parade.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/black-lives-matter-declare-that-they-have-helped-create-a-more-inclusive-toronto-pride-parade-630727403.html|title=Black Lives Matter declare that they have helped create a more inclusive Toronto Pride Parade|last=Ware|first=Syrus Marcus|date=June 25, 2017|access-date=January 25, 2026|work=Cision|author-link=Syrus Marcus Ware|last2=Diverlus|first2=Rodney}}</ref>

== Legacy == In 2018 friends and community members established in recognition of her life's work the Sumaya Dalmar Award for trans students of colour.<ref name="New award to help racialized trans students">[https://www.ryerson.ca/alumni/enewsletter/2018/03/featured/new-award-to-help-racialized-trans-students/ New award to help racialized trans students] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320043656/https://www.ryerson.ca/alumni/enewsletter/2018/03/featured/new-award-to-help-racialized-trans-students/ |date=2018-03-20 }}, ryerson.ca, retrieved 19 March 2018.</ref> They had waited to establish the award until receiving closure from the police on the cause of Dalmar's death, but {{As of|2020|lc=y}} no cause had been released.<ref name=":0" /> The award grants $1,000 annually to racialized trans students at Ryerson University.<ref name=":3" /> It was the first award in Canada designed explicitly for racialized trans students.<ref name=":5" /> By 2018, $6,000 had been raised for the fund, donated by around 200 people.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news|title=Ryerson launches scholarship for transgender students of colour|url=https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/ryerson-launches-scholarship-for-transgender-students-of-colour|work=Toronto Sun|access-date=2026-01-25|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200812173923/https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/ryerson-launches-scholarship-for-transgender-students-of-colour|archive-date=2020-08-12|language=en-CA|last=Casey|first=Liam|date=March 29, 2018}}</ref>

Syrus Marcus Ware lists Dalmar as one of Toronto's trans and two-spirited activists of color who had helped shape its trans community but not received commensurate recognition for their contributions. He named Mirha-Soleil Ross, Yasmeen Persad, Monica Forrester, Nik Redman, and Duchess as similar figures.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ware|first=Syrus Marcus|date=2017-05-01|title=All Power to All People?|url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/tsq/article/4/2/170/84689/All-Power-to-All-People-Black-LGBTTI2QQ-Activism|journal=TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly|language=en|volume=4|issue=2|pages=171, 177|doi=10.1215/23289252-3814961|issn=2328-9252}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalmar, Sumaya}} Category:1988 births Category:2015 deaths Category:Canadian Muslims Category:Canadian transgender women Category:Black Canadian LGBTQ people Category:Somalian LGBTQ people Category:Somalian emigrants to Canada Category:Transgender female models Category:Transgender rights activists Category:Transgender Muslims Category:Black Canadian activists Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:Somalian LGBTQ rights activists