Rest in Pride, Aubrey

Last night Aubrey Dameron's family confirmed that after six years, she is missing no longer. We sit in grief and devastation alongside her family, her tribe, and her community, in the acknowledgement that her life was taken far too soon. 

For the last six years, Aubrey's family have not only carried the effort of continuing the search for Aubrey and the call for justice, they have done so while continuing to shine a light on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, and working to implement response mechanisms to alert people sooner about a person who goes missing under mysterious circumstances. The latter effort, originally introduced as the Aubrey Alert, and ultimately signed into law in 2023 as the Kasey Alert, alongside Ida's Law, signed into 2021, are critical initial steps, that became law through grassroots organizing to begin to address the many gaps in urgency and justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. 

We will continue to follow the lead of those closest to Aubrey, through the grief of this news, as they determine what the next steps are on the pathway to justice. 

We will also continue to look to the Indigenous matriarchs leading in organizing, education, and advocacy around MMIR, including Northeastern Oklahoma Indigenous Safety and Education (NOISE), Matriarch, and Aubrey's family, through their Facebook page Missing - Aubrey Dameron (https://www.facebook.com/share/1F6icfsLAY/).

Aubrey's aunt, Pam Smith, noted the difficulties Aubrey’s case faced from the beginning. “It’s high-risk to be Native and missing, and high-risk to be transgender and missing,” she said. “And Aubrey was both.” We know our Two Spirit and trans relatives disproportionately are subjected to physical violence, often rooted in transmisogyny and transmisia. And, that we are so much more than the violence we experience. 

Aubrey by all accounts worked to make sure everyone was included. She was fully herself, and remained a beacon of positivity for so many in her life. She was extremely proud of her Cherokee culture. Aubrey Dameron, a woman so full of love, was taken from us too soon. May she rest in pride. 

The news of Aubrey's remains being confirmed comes days before the one year anniversary of the death of Nex Benedict. On Saturday February 8, from 1-2 CT, we will hold virtual space for grieving and remembrance. There will be space for folks to share (speech, spoken word/poetry, visual art via pdf, etc) and we will be highlighting zine submissions from Oklahoma youth and adults that honor Nex and the impact of losing him over this last year. Please email Taylor (they/them) at taylor@freedomoklahoma.org if you know you would like to speak or share your Nex inspired art during the memorial.

You can register to join the space here: https://secure.everyaction.com/6B6vVp9hxESJ9d1k00Yufw2

We know hearing, holding, and processing this information is heavy. We also acknowledge community spaces may be hard to find. For connection to folks who center Indigenous community members reach out to Strong Hearts Native Helpline, for a warm line option that is trans affirming and does not engage the police, Trans Lifeline is run by and for trans people, Thrive Lifeline is trans led and operated, BlackLine operates through unapologetic Black LGBTQ and Black femme lenses the LGBT National Help Center handles all calls in-house with trained LGBTQ+ volunteers, andThrive which serves 2SLGBTQ+ adults. 2SLGBTQ+ crisis hotlines that may (with or without consent) engage police, include The Trevor Project and988.