Kendall Kiara Stephens, a well-known trans activist of color, was arrested Dec. 18 on charges that she raped two children in her care and committed related offenses.
Stephens, 37, faces allegations that she raped two boys, aged 14 and 9. She’s charged with rape, indecent assault, corruption of minors, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, endangering the welfare of children, unlawful contact with minors and related offenses.
According to NBC10, the investigation began on Sept. 25 when the grandmother of one of the victims reported that Stephens — a friend of the family — sexually assualted her grandchild. There were allegedly three occasions of abuse with one boy since 2022, beginning when he was 8-years-old.
Additionally, a second victim told police Stephens assaulted him and according to court documents, gave him gifts to “keep him quiet.”
She also allegedly told one of the victims he would be locked up if he told anyone about the abuse.
As of presstime, Stephens was in the custody of authorities in lieu of $250,000 bail and couldn’t be reached for comment.
Stephens was a highly-regarded member of the city’s LGBTQ+ community. She served on the board of the William Way LGBT Community Center from September 2020 to July 2023. Additionally, she was an active member of the District Attorney’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. PGN honored Stephens as one of its People of the Year in 2019.
Stephens’ case is being prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Office, apparently because a conflict would exist if the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office prosecuted her.
“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office referred the charges to the Office of Attorney General, and we have accepted the referral,” Brett Hambright, a spokesperson for the state Attorney General’s Office, told PGN.
According to court records, Stephens has a history of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. She suffers from depression, anxiety, photophobia and bipolar disorder, insomnia and asthma. Moreover, Stephens suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and intermittent explosive disorder, for which she’s received extensive mental-health therapies.
Stephens was in foster care from the ages 12 to 16 during which she was repeatedly molested and raped. Additionally, she described being arrested in 2007 for defending herself from an attack and being raped in prison, according to court records.
In 2009, Stephens was assaulted so badly, her right hip was fractured, causing her recurrent pain to this day.
In June 2014, Stephens was knocked unconscious by someone wielding a beer bottle. That assault rekindled her ongoing battle with debilitating migraine headaches, according to court records.
In August 2020, Stephens was assaulted in a home invasion in South Philadelphia that left her seriously injured. In February 2023, Stephens’ assailant pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy and was sentenced to 18 months of house arrest. As a result of her assaults, Stephens became an ardent supporter of statewide LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes legislation in Pennsylvania, which still hasn’t passed.
Throughout her life, Stephens held jobs as a fast food manager, retail manager, waitress, website designer, a home health aide/companion, security guard and a tax preparer. More recently, Stephens was pursuing graduate studies at Temple University.
A preliminary hearing for Stephens is tentatively set for 9 a.m. Dec. 29 in Courtroom 5F of the Family Court Building, 1501 Arch St., with Common Pleas Judge Vincent W. Furlong presiding.
Jeremy Rodriguez contributed to this report.
This is a developing story.