Openly transgender woman set to be executed, a first in US history

Amber McLaughlin: Convicted of first-degree murder in 2006, Amber was sentenced to death although a court in 2016 ordered a new sentencing hearing.

An openly transgender woman is set to be executed for the first time in US history, a report said. Amber McLaughlin will die by lethal injection for killing a former girlfriend in 2003, Sky News reported. If granted clemency by Missouri governor Mike Parson, the decision could be overturned.

Amber McLaughlin: Death row inmate Amber McLaughlin is seen. (AP)

Before transitioning, 49-year-old Amber McLaughlin was in a relationship with girlfriend Beverly Guenther. When the relationship turned bitter, Amber McLaughlin began to stalk Beverly. She went to her office and sometimes even hid inside. Amber McLaughlin eventually killed Beverly Guenther in November 2003, court records show.

Convicted of first-degree murder in 2006, Amber was sentenced to death although a court in 2016 ordered a new sentencing hearing. In 2021, a federal appeals court panel reinstated the death penalty. Amber McLaughlin has made a clemency request requesting to be granted mercy owing to her traumatic childhood and mental health issues.

The petition claims that a foster parent rubbed faeces in her face when she was a toddler adding that her adoptive father used a stun gun on her. Stating that Amber suffers from depression and has attempted suicide many times, the petition includes reports citing a diagnosis of gender dysphoria

Amber McLaughlin's lawyer Larry Komp said as per Sky News, "We think Amber has demonstrated incredible courage because I can tell you there's a lot of hate when it comes to that issue."

There is no known case of a transgender inmate being executed in the US before and in Missouri the only woman ever executed was Bonnie Heady who was put to death in 1953, for killing a six-year-old boy.