Maria Paola Gaglione (R) died in a motorcycle accident after her brother, enraged she was marrying a trans man Ciro Migloiore (L), tailed her. (Facebook)
A trans man was seriously injured and his fiancé, a cisgender woman, tragically slain by her transphobic brother who wanted to “teach her” a lesson.
Maria Paola Gaglione, 22, was riding on a motorcycle with her fiancé, Ciro Migliore, towards their home in Acerra, a town in southern Italy, on September 11, when her brother appeared behind them.
Michele Antonio, 30, then abruptly began tailing the two, investigators said, and started to ram their vehicle with his own, causing them to tailspin and crash.
Loved ones of Maria spoke of her brother as a dominant figure in her life who disapproved of her marrying a trans man, local media reported.
Relatives claimed her death was an “accident”, but said the two had a storied past of squabbling over Maria’s relationship.
“Michele had gone out to convince his sister Maria Paola to return home, but he did not ram her, it was an accident,” the family, based in Caivano, Naples, said.
When investigators asked Antonio why he slammed into his sister and her fiancé’s motorcycle, he bluntly said: “I wanted to teach her a lesson, not kill her.”
Authorities arriving at the scene said they found Michele pummelling the unconscious body of Migliore, who had a fractured arm and was covered in bruises.
He was arrested by police and held in a prison in Poggioreale. He has not yet been charged.
Trans man remembers his late fiancé, killed by her own transphobic brother.
In a heart-wrenching Instagram post, Migliore remembered his partner of three years as someone whom he would never stop loving.
“I can no longer imagine my life without you,” he wrote.
“I can not. I can’t sleep anymore I think of you, my love, I miss you, I miss you so much.”
The roadside scene of mayhem has since been replaced by one of reverence – bouquets of flowers, candles and handwritten notes were placed by mourners where Maria and her fiancé were found.
The head of Comitato Provinciale Arcigay Di Napoli Onlus, a regional LGBT+ organisation, said he was “shocked and angry” at the incident.
“This is a heinous case in which they manifest themselves two serious violence, [the murder of a woman] and an act of transphobia,” said president Daniela Falanga.
Falanga said it was one of the most “explicit cases” of transphobia he has witnessed, signalling the depth of anger and impunity felt by transphobic people.