The mother of an American woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month while on a monthlong yoga retreat revealed that her daughter is transgender, a detail she said she had withheld out of fear it might negatively affect the search.
Since Taylor Casey was last seen alive on June 19, her mother and close friends have been working around the clock to find her.
The group has created several social media accounts, started a GoFundMe campaign for legal representation and crafted lengthy news releases related to Casey’s disappearance, but a release Monday was the first time they have disclosed Casey’s gender identity.
“The focus was going to be taken off of finding my child, my child being missing and that they were going to put the focus on ‘oh, Taylor’s transgender,’ which should not be the focus at all,” said Casey’s mother, Colette Seymore, referring to the media. “It should be the focus is finding Taylor, an American, human being citizen that’s missing in the Bahamas.”
Seymore said she didn’t initially feel it was necessary to share Casey’s gender identity.
Casey’s friends and family believe she would have been found by now if she were white and cisgender.
“Without a doubt. Without a doubt,” said Seymore, 69. “There would have been way more efforts. The investigation would have been done properly, the way it should have been done.”
Local authorities have not indicated that there is evidence of foul play in the missing persons case. They have been aware of Casey’s gender identity, according to Seymore and close friend Emily Williams.
