Sumaya Dalmar

Sumaya Dasia Dalmar, also known as Sumaya YSL, was a Somali-Canadian transgender activist and model. Dalmar was one of the earliest Somalis to come out as transgender and LGBT as a whole.

Early life Dalmar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and left during the outbreak of the Somali Civil War at the age of three. Her family moved to Vancouver, Canada. She was Muslim and transgender, and faced transphobia, Islamophobia, and racism.

Later life In 2012, Dalmar was the primary actor for a play and documentary by Abdi Osman, called Labeeb, "an intimate portrait of Sumaya, a Somali trans-woman". It explored gender, sexuality, and religiosity in the Somali community. She worked at Banu, a restaurant in Queen Street West, Toronto. She was also a model and adult-film actress. She was going to work in their education and training department.

Dalmar was well-known in the Somali and LGBTQ communities of Toronto. One commentator praised the degree of visibility she has given the trans community.

Death and response Dalmar died in mysterious circumstances on 22 February 2015 at the age of 26. It was an event that was compared to other acts of violence against trans women of colour, especially during the early months of 2015 when such incidents were reportedly occurring at a particularly high rate. Her death was discussed widely on social media, with many speculating that it was a homicide. Some critics have compared the police response to Dalmar's death to their treatment of Cassandra Do and Alloura Wells.

Legacy In 2018 friends and community members established in recognition of her life's work the Sumaya Dalmar Award for trans students of colour. They had waited to establish the award until receiving closure from the police on the cause of Dalmar's death, but no cause had been released.

Syrus Marcus Ware lists Dalmar as one of Toronto's trans and two-spirited activists of color who had helped shape its trans community but not received commensurate recognition for their contributions. He named Mirha-Soleil Ross, Yasmeen Persad, Monica Forrester, Nik Redman, and Duchess as similar figures.