Trans rapper Black Madam is on trial for third-degree murder.
She is accused of being responsible for the death of a 20-year-old British dancer, Claudia Aderotimi, in 2011.
Aderotimi’s death was a result of an illegal cosmetic procedure in which Black Madam injected her with silicone in order to give her a fuller figure. The silicone spread to Aderotimi’s heart and lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism to form and her subsequent death.
Deaths such as this and extreme complications with this procedure are not at all uncommon.
The procedure itself is risky because the silicone is likely to travel once it is injected into the body, or the body can react violently to the silicone injections. But there are also other long term effects to the injections.
Zaira Quispe, a trans woman, received silicone injections to help her project her gender identity.
The results were initially joyful for Quispe — she finally had the body of her dreams, and she felt at home in her more womanly figure.
But after a number of years, the silicone began to move throughout her body and calcify. Now her body is grossly misshapen as a result of the spreading of the hardened silicone, and she has to make endless visits to the hospital.
The procedures are not legal because they are dangerous and life-threatening.
Yet, there are still many individuals, referred to as pumpers, who secretly perform these procedures for people.
Professional cosmetic surgeries can cost as much as $70,000, whereas the silicone injections can be bought for the bargain price of $1,200. Most of the individuals seeking out the services of a ?pumper are trans and looking for a way to align their bodies with their identity. Some of these individuals have a low income and no health insurance. The idea of paying for the professional cosmetic surgeries is entirely implausible.
The pumpers are taking advantage of the desperation of these individuals who want so badly to change.
Medical-grade silicone is hard to obtain and expensive, so pumpers usually have to resort to using industrial silicone instead.
Pumpers inject this industrial-grade silicone — usually used in planes, cars and machines — into human beings just to save a few dollars. And they are doing so in unsterile environments and generally without anesthesia.
Transitioning from one gender to another is a complex process, and it takes more than just a few injections to complete that goal.
It takes years and countless treatments and procedures, not to mention the psychological stress it puts on the ?individual.
The transition process is much like a medical process, and it needs to stay that way for safety.
But if the medical community were more open and accessible, people would not have to seek out pumpers in desperation just so they can finally share their identity with the world.
If we work to stop this now, there won’t be as many wanton deaths or people suffering from the results of these ?silicone injections.
johnstra@imail.iu.edu
