Tag: Hate Crime

Vigil for Islan Nettles

The vigil for Islan Nettles, who died last week after being beaten into a coma and being declared brain dead, drew a crowd of hundreds to Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem.  Nettles was a 21-year-old transwoman who was pursuing a career in fashion.

On August 17 Islan was walking with a transwoman friend when they encountered a group of men outside a Harlem police precinct station.  One of the men, Paris Wilson, 20, had recently friended Islan on Facebook.  Wilson reportedly began flirting with Nettles, until one of his friends yelled that she had been born a man.  The friends began teasing Wilson until he attacked her.  As he was beating her, the “friends” shouted anti-trans and anti-gay epithets.  He continued to pound on her face after her head had been driven into the sidewalk.  Wilson was arrested after police finally arrived.  He was charged with misdemeanor assault and released on $2,000 bail.

Transwoman’s body found in pond near Cleveland…tied to concrete block

 photo cemia_zps984e180f.jpgThis really gets old.  On April 17 the decomposing body of transwoman Cemia Dove, 20, was found in a pond in Olmsted Township, near Cleveland.  This is the third African American transwoman found murdered since the beginning of April.

The body was found tied to a concrete block and a steel pipe.  It was also naked from the waist down.  She had been stabbed to death.

As is typical, but nonetheless contrary to AP Stylesheet guidelines, Cemia was identified by her birth name in early reports and continually misgendered.  Additionally, an old mug shot was attached to the newspaper stories and her past misdemeanor arrests became the story in some circles…rather than the fact that she was murdered.

Sad Tidings

Recently I’ve managed to find some stories with better news among the usual fare of crap that many transpeople face.  

I knew it couldn’t keep going like that.

So tonight we have hard news out of California and Maryland.

The toll?  One dead, two injured, and a state’s transgender population worth of others left endangered.

On the bright side today is payday…and unlike many other transpeople, I actually have one.

Hate Crime sentencing? Not so much.

Teonna Monae Brown, 19, pleaded guilty today in a Baltimore court to one count of first degree assault and one count of a hate crime in the April 18 attack on Chrissy Lee Polis, 22.

Obama effigy hanged in Jimmy Carter’s home town

The US Secret Service says it is investigating after an effigy of Barack Obama was found hanging in the home town of former President Jimmy Carter.

The BBC  Monday, 4 January 2010

TV footage showed the doll hanging by a noose in front of a red, white and blue sign that reads “Plains, Georgia. Home of Jimmy Carter, our 39th President”.

Witnesses said the effigy had President Obama’s name on it.

Plains Mayor L.E. Godwin III said the fire department had been called to take it down.

In Washington, US Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan confirmed that the agency was investigating the case.

Free Hal Turner



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First they came for the racist, right-wing nutjobs, but I wasn’t a nutjob so I didn’t speak up…

First Colorado Anti-Transgender Violence Hate Crime Goes To Trial

So, the Dog thought that he was a pretty aware Liberal type hound as far as being sensitive to various minority groups’ issues and problems. Then he joined DD and found that there was a group of people that were all but forgotten about, the transgendered. Having the redoubtable Robyn on these pages for the last couple of years has taught the Dog that transgendered citizens are really not given the attention and help they need in terms of the law to live the lives they want.