Girlalala (aka. M. Harrison) – Photo: Instagram, (inset) rapper JT – Photo: wikicommons
A Florida man has been arrested and charged with the murder of Girlalala, a 21-year-old transgender TikTok influencer, after allegedly shooting her during what appears to have been a dispute between the couple.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies say 25-year-old Shanoyd Whyte Jr. shot Girlalala shortly before 7 p.m. on Friday, November 14, while the two were sitting in a car on the side of the road in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.
According to Miami-based WPLG, video from a nearby Tesla shows a man believed to be Whyte getting out of the driver’s side of a sedan as Girlalala tries to exit the passenger side. He appears to grab her by the hair and force her back inside before pacing outside the car with a cellphone in hand.
Deputies say Whyte and Girlalala — who had been dating for several years — got into a verbal argument that turned physical, ending with Whyte shooting her.
When officers arrived, they found Girlalala in the sedan’s passenger seat with multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where she died.
Girlalala, a hairstylist and TikTok influencer from Pompano Beach, was known for her extensive online presence, with nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok, more than 40,000 on Instagram, and over 4,700 on YouTube. Her videos often featured her work on hair and wigs and showcased her love of hip-hop.
Behind the scenes, however, friends and relatives said Girlalala and Whyte had a tumultuous relationship. Social media users resurfaced older videos suggesting possible violence, including one showing her with a cut on her nose and under her eye, in which she said she and her boyfriend “always fight,” according to Miami-based NBC affiliate WTVJ.
WPLG reports that Whyte, a former defensive lineman for Bethune-Cookman University’s football team, was previously arrested on a domestic violence charge in November 2022. An arrest form alleged he physically and maliciously battered a victim — not Girlalala — multiple times, but the victim declined to pursue charges.
Whyte was booked on a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm and ordered held without bond after an initial court appearance. He remains in custody at the Broward County jail.
According to LGBTQ Nation, Florida-based rapper JT (Jatavia Shakara Johnson) — whose music Girlalala often featured in her videos — donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe campaign raising money for the influencer’s funeral expenses. The campaign has so far collected more than $28,000.
In a since-expired Instagram post, JT appeared to reference the intimate partner violence Girlalala is alleged to have experienced, writing, “NOTHING is funny about a (domestic) violence story.”
She added that many people do not take intimate partner abuse seriously in either queer or straight communities, treating it like “reality show” drama.
In a statement, Girlalala’s family — who lost their son, Girlalala’s brother, to gun violence last August — thanked those who have reached out in support.
“As a family we appreciate every prayer, kind thought, and gesture during our time of bereavement,” the family said. “Now, we are just praying that justice is served to the fullest degree.”
More than 9 in 10 LGBTQ adults are out to someone in their lives about their sexual orientation or gender identity -- yet many remain closeted when it comes to family members or co-workers.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January, 96% of LGBTQ adults say they have told someone about their identity, while only 3% say they have not come out to anyone. However, up to one-third of LGBTQ adults -- including those who have come out to “someone” -- say they are not out to extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, or cousins.
José Rolón, a gay father and popular social media influencer known as @nycgaydad, has filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing commentator Stew Peters, who falsely accused him of "criminal sexual conduct" involving his three young children.
Rolón, who has more than 150,000 followers on Instagram and over 500,000 on TikTok, says he was barraged with death threats and vile messages after Peters attacked him online for sharing videos about his life as a single gay dad.
As reported by The Advocate, Rolón's legal team filed a five-count lawsuit in Kings County Supreme Court accusing Peters of defamation and bias-related intimidation under New York's Civil Rights Law, citing multiple false statements made against him.
In a historic move, Michael J. O'Loughlin, an award-winning journalist and gay man, has been named executive editor of the National Catholic Reporter, the nation's leading independent Catholic news organization.
A New England-based journalist, O'Loughlin has amassed more than 15 years of experience covering religion as a reporter, editor, podcast host, and author. For the past nine years, he has worked at America Media, the Jesuit news and commentary outlet, serving seven years as national correspondent and most recently as founding executive director of Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic news site.
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