The following is Mayor Sylvester Turner’s statement following the death of transgender rights advocate Monica Roberts.
“From my time in the Texas Legislature until now as mayor, Monica walked every hall of government with professionalism, grace, and toughness to ensure transgender individuals and everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community would not be forgotten or overlooked.
She was one of the original board members of the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board and a powerful voice for transgender rights.
Each time I saw Monica at events, you could not miss her confident stature, and she was not shy to call things out directly.
In May 2019, I was honored to introduce and present her with the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award.
Monica was a pioneer in every sense of the word. Through her blog, TransGriot, she impacted countless lives and wrote the trans communities’ stories that needed to be told.
Today, we pause to remember the impact Monica has made in our city. I will personally miss her and am grateful for the friendship we developed over the years.
Houston embraces everyone, no matter where they come from, their background and continues to be a place of hope and opportunity.
I extend my condolences to those close to Monica, and we will continue to march, fight, and speak up for equal rights of all.”
