Let's help

[new believer]

Last week I caught part of a movie about a girl in a boy's body 'Gwen'.
I enjoyed it at first then the reality kicked in. And kicked in a big way. I now understand why so many TG's and others are so defensive and 'sullen' at times. While many of us are not in their position, we can help. But we need to be informed by the TG community. When legislation,petitions and volunteers are sought, do what you can. For those of us who can not actively participate in marching's , let's donate cash to help those who can get there. But we need an organizer to help us help you. So now I ask the TG's out here to work with forum administrators to keep us in touch. perhaps an 'action alert' link. Let's not enjoy our lady friends out here without showing our deepest regards for their safety.

[smc]

I would be glad to help in any capacity.

[fionahavelock]

is that movie about transvestite "Gwen Araujo" murder? glad to read this post.. we need more guys with these perspective..

[Bionca]

http://www.glaad.org/action/calls_ar...il.php?id=5062

Angie Z was murdered in Colorado last year. Her murderer told his girl-friend "I had to kill it" and "gay things need to die" before he took a fire extinguisher to her head when she tried to get up after he beat her.

What is a radio host to do in a case like this? How about stumble over Angie's gender and then say that Transgenderd women should have their teeth kicked in. The link contains a full transcript and a call to write the radio station and the the DJ.

This should be easy enough to do.

[Bionca]

On a similar note,

My friend Christine was sexually assaulted this past summer. I mentioned it here and also on my blog. Well, her boy-friend left her last month for greener (non-trans) pastures and she lost her job. I have been in Florida the past few days attending her funeral. The sad fact is, external violence pales compared to the violence we inflict on ourselves.

From internalizing the messages that a Trans* body isn't and can't be beautiful to allowing ourselves to stay in abusive relationships because that's what we deserve or all we can get. Going through life is hard on all of us. Combine that with the real need to keep 18+ years of your life secret from the majority of people you know, the message that "love" for you is only temporary and hinged on the convenience of another, that you are a diversion away from "normal" sex - an exotic treat, but never the real thing. Ugh I'm done now.

[O'Sully TS Hopeful]

Finally some who seems to be true to the people they love, us, and not just hide in shame.

[SweetCharmer]

its a sad fact that most of the people who are understanding and kind are so widely scattered around the world....kinda makes you wish you were a superhero.. my friend said to me all you need is the powers and then you'll be one.i'd give my left arm to have the powers to save people.hearing about all this hurts a great deal to me because i'm one of these people who can't pretend to not see something happening. if i see anyone in trouble i help while people around just keep quite and walk away.
so when i hear about how all these trans-gendered women are killed or sexually assaulted i wish to myself that i'd been in the right place at the right time by some unexplained series of events. but alas that's just me thinking of impossible things to happen i mean no one can be in two or three places at once
looking at my avatar. i really do wish i had wings now

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by Bionca

On a similar note, my friend Christine was sexually assaulted this past summer. I mentioned it here and also on my blog. Well, her boy-friend left her last month for greener (non-trans) pastures and she lost her job. I have been in Florida the past few days attending her funeral. The sad fact is, external violence pales compared to the violence we inflict on ourselves....

I just wanted to extend my condolences to you, Bionca. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend and (given my personal beliefs) I'd like to believe she's in a better place now and finally at peace. So all of my prayers go out to her, her family, her friends and you.

And you're right about the violence that we all seem to get these days from all directions. Hopefully one day we'll realize as a thinking species how precious life actually is, and we'll stop so much of the nonsense that goes on about us and focus more on just being caring human beings for each other and even ourselves.

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by Bionca

http://www.glaad.org/action/calls_ar...il.php?id=5062

Angie Z was murdered in Colorado last year....What is a radio host to do in a case like this? How about stumble over Angie's gender and then say that Transgenderd women should have their teeth kicked in. The link contains a full transcript and a call to write the radio station and the the DJ.

This should be easy enough to do.

I sent off a letter, but in addition to that I would recommend writing to the FCC and reporting both the host AND the station to REALLY get someone in trouble. Look, to be honest, unless this guy is brand new and has only been hosting his show for the last few weeks, then the station already KNOWS this guy is an ass. Or they know he's provocative or they know his political leanings, which means they're not shocked by anything he says on the air.

So, sure, you can write to the station and complain, but from my experiences with the media all that is going to happen is they will put the letters into a folder...which will then get tossed into the infamous "circular file cabinet". Truth be told, the radio station will probably feel good about themselves IF they start getting a flood of email because in their money-grubbing minds they'll think of it this way: sure they pissed some people off, but this guy helped to put their station on the map. Hell, if they get a flood of email, the guy will probably even ask for a raise for what he said and the result it caused.

ON THE OTHER HAND...the FCC takes these things very seriously. Trust me, I've attended a few FCC hearings and you'd be surprised at the attention things can get once you make a stink at the right levels or to the right people. Writing to them and complaining that the station violated broadcasting standards and complaining to them that an investigation into hate speech is warranted and complaining to them that this jerk-off was advocating violence on the air (or so it would seem to the average listener) has a better chance of making some waves. Or at least causing the host and the station some grief.

So here you go. File a complaint against this buffoon.
As Bionca said, this should be easy enough to do...

http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

[Bionca]

The trial for Angie Zapata is under way. The story is horrific and all too common. You can read an article about the trial here.

Show your support for a lost sister.

Angie was killed by an intimate partner who clames that she did not disclose her status as a trans*woman. He claims that after spending the night with her he suspected she may have "been a man". He grabbed her crotch and beat her to (he thought) death. While removing implicating evidence, swiping her car keys and credit card, Angie gurgled and started to sit up. He then took a fire extinguisher and killed her.

He later told his girl-friend that "gay things need to die" and "I had to kill it".

Personally, I'm sick of the assumption that Angie tricked him into anything. Thus far this is what the defense is using to get a lesser charge conviction. Using the "gay panic" defense unfortunately works very well - even in cases where the murderer had prior knowledge of a woman's status and a history of dating trans*women.

This story hits close to home. This may be just another sad event to most of you. But, for me and gals like me this the the fear we have every time a date actually decides not to bail out on us. True or not, there is a real assumption among Trans*women that guys can have sex with us, feel guilty/disgusted with this new event, murder us and get a pitifully short sentence (if they are even caught and convicted).

[The Conquistador]

Originally Posted by Bionca

The trial for Angie Zapata is under way. The story is horrific and all too common. You can read an article about the trial here.

Show your support for a lost sister.

Angie was killed by an intimate partner who clames that she did not disclose her status as a trans*woman. He claims that after spending the night with her he suspected she may have "been a man". He grabbed her crotch and beat her to (he thought) death. While removing implicating evidence, swiping her car keys and credit card, Angie gurgled and started to sit up. He then took a fire extinguisher and killed her.

He later told his girl-friend that "gay things need to die" and "I had to kill it".

Personally, I'm sick of the assumption that Angie tricked him into anything. Thus far this is what the defense is using to get a lesser charge conviction. Using the "gay panic" defense unfortunately works very well - even in cases where the murderer had prior knowledge of a woman's status and a history of dating trans*women.

This story hits close to home. This may be just another sad event to most of you. But, for me and gals like me this the the fear we have every time a date actually decides not to bail out on us. True or not, there is a real assumption among Trans*women that guys can have sex with us, feel guilty/disgusted with this new event, murder us and get a pitifully short sentence (if they are even caught and convicted).

A similar thing happened to a girl named Gwen Araujo that I went to the same school with. She was dating some preppy douchebag type when he found out that she was not a genetic girl, him and his friends strangled her and beat her to death with a shovel. They got charged with second degree murder and for the most part got off with a light sentence.

I think it would behoove many transwomen to arm themselves with either a gun, a taser or a knife. Not too many people are as open minded to transsexualism and until transwomen are able to date without fear of retribution, it would definetly help to be packin' heat. Tasers can be had quite easily and do not require a concealed carry permit. Tasers will put down the most indignant characters without the hassle of a gory exit wound and blood spatter and can be taken in most places where it might be a felony to bring a pistol. Knives are cheap and depending on the length of blade, they can be used as a Less-Lethal or lethal alternative(cut tendons vs. cut artery)

The point that I am trying to make is that all the ladies(if you haven't already)need to get away from the victim mentality and give serious consideration to your personal security. Don't become a crime statistic!!!

[Bionca]

While I agree with you Postman - and I know my way around both a gun and my fists/legs/feet/fingers/elbows - being armed and aware didn't really help me out when I was assaulted.

Along with education and empowerment for trans*women, there does need to be a clear message that our deaths are not less important and the fact we may be sexually active does not mean we are deceptive (ie get partially blamed when we are attacked).

[The Conquistador]

Originally Posted by Bionca

Along with education and empowerment for trans*women, there does need to be a clear message that our deaths are not less important and the fact we may be sexually active does not mean we are deceptive (ie get partially blamed when we are attacked).

Transsexuals are people too!

Damn right!

[Amy]

I've said before we need to get the people here to put their money where their mouths are, so to speak. If you really care about us, campaigning for our rights is a damn good place to show it. One of my friends just got some horrible treatment in a bar recently, and this sort of shit just gets me so angry with our society...

[Bionca]

Originally Posted by Amy

I've said before we need to get the people here to put their money where their mouths are, so to speak. If you really care about us, campaigning for our rights is a damn good place to show it. One of my friends just got some horrible treatment in a bar recently, and this sort of shit just gets me so angry with our society...

Sorry about your friend

Bars are like a mine field for me. I think I'm the only woman in the world sometimes who dreads having a drink bought for her by a stranger.

That said, I tried to get some support going for something a tad more important than jerking off or discussing cock. I'm disappointed - but not overly surprised.

[transjen]

It will take more then just asking for equal rights, The laws really don't need changing people do, You can pass all the laws you want but some people don't care about laws they see a Tgirl and think they are less then human and there for beating us or worse is fine and in there rights and we have no rights because we are less then human. I was always pushed around and picked on as a kid so i'm kinda use to the hateward of others like i said people need to change Jennifer

[Bionca]

Jen -

Yes and no. Obviously people/society need to change. One of the ways society needs to change is the way trans* peeps are treated by the law. When a trans* person can get sent to the wrong prison simply because the state failed to correct her documentation there is a problem. When rape and domestic violence and homeless shelters can deny services to trans* women there is a problem. When the simple act of using a public restroom becomes up for debate there is a problem.

With the case of violence it becomes even more critical. The abysmal rate in which our attackers are caught, much less convicted is maddening. Even when the attacker is well know to members of the community. When Kelly Telesford (from the UK, so not directly applicable to the US) can be strangled, her last date found with her stolen property on him, can get found not guilty because he implied she was "easy" and into "freaky sex'. There is a problem.

When men who have a history of dating trans* women can kill us and get a "manslaughter" conviction and sentenced to 6 years in jail by claiming "gay panic". There is a problem. When a Trans* woman in DC is left to die in a car accident because the EMTs are too busy making fun of her genitalia. There is a problem. When those same EMTs get a promotion a year later - that is an outrage.

So, yeah people need to change, but a good start is letting folks know that assaulting, raping, murdering us isn't a justifiable act worthy of a mitigated sentence. That firing us from our jobs because we are trans* is not going to be OK. That's where the law comes in. Sometimes you can't depend on the kindness of strangers.

[smc]

An op-ed in today's edition of my local newspaper, The Boston Globe, offers a small glimmer of hope for at least a bit of change here in Massachusetts. Here's a link to the piece, which discusses the problem of bullying of school-age kids who identify as transgendered and how the suicides of some have spurred efforts to pass legislation in the state to force schools to deal with anti-LGBT bullying.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ed...ound_bullying/

My local high school (from which all three of my kids graduated) is somewhat notorious among the national anti-gay activists not only for having a principal who is openly lesbian but for its annual "ToBeGLAD Day" an all-day event (it stands for "Transgender Bisexual Gay Lesbian Awareness Day"). Parents are kept out of the school so that the homophobes cannot disrupt the event. The result has been one of the most tolerant high school environments in the country, one where my youngest daughter reports that on several occasions she witnessed BMOC jocks come to the defense of gay kids who were being harrassed by other students!

[Bionca]

smc -

Your high school seems pretty darn swell.

[Bionca]

I posted this about the Angie Zapata case on another blog where we were talking about hate crimes and wether this could/should be classified as a hate crime:

This is the very heart of a hate crime. Beyond the basics of Angie was killed for being trans* (which is enough on its own). The ripples of this and every other case of violence and murder of trans* women by intimate partners are mirrored in the fear and suspicion that I, and most of my friends feel when trying to do something so simple and basic as go on a date.

This case, and the many many others that are reported (or more often not) confirm for us that we are never safe. That no matter what we do, how careful we are we are always to blame for our own attacks. This is the crux of hate crime legislation - to criminalize actions that instill fear in a unprivileged/ minority community. This is the daily fear that I and my trans* sisters who date men have EVERY SINGLE TIME we on a date.

That fear that some curious cis-guy is going to freak out all over our bodies after he gets his. That he will feel justified and be able to claim his own "violation" and liken our bodies to rape.

[smc]

Originally Posted by Bionca

smc -

Your high school seems pretty darn swell.

Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts -- the focus of national attention by anti-gay groups for years because the faculty and staff let kids be themselves. The homophobes accuse NNHS of "teaching kids to be gay."

One of the best things about the school is that a few non-LGBT kids have graduated, gone on to college, and then become noted attorneys defending LGBT people in civil discrimination suits.

[transjen]

Originally Posted by smc

Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts -- the focus of national attention by anti-gay groups for years because the faculty and staff let kids be themselves. The homophobes accuse NNHS of "teaching kids to be gay."

One of the best things about the school is that a few non-LGBT kids have graduated, gone on to college, and then become noted attorneys defending LGBT people in civil discrimination suits.

Wish i attended a highschool like that when i was a teen Jennifer

Colo. man convicted of murdering transgender woman

Allen Andrade, 32, of Thornton, was sentenced to life in prison without parole* after being convicted of killing Angie Zapata, 18. The jury deliberated for just two hours before finding Andrade guilty...

...Prosecutors had argued Andrade knew for hours that Zapata was biologically male and beat her to death because he disliked gays. They said Andrade had attended a court hearing with Zapata where court officials used her legal name, Justin...

...During the trial, prosecutors played recorded jail conversations where Andrade referred to Zapata as "it" and said it wasn't as if he "killed a straight, law-abiding citizen."

*Methinks the fucker is in need of a lethal injection. But at least he didn't get away with it. If it was up to me, "gay panic" would be no defense.

[ila]

Originally Posted by St. Araqiel

Colo. man convicted of murdering transgender woman

*Methinks the fucker is in need of a lethal injection. But at least he didn't get away with it. If it was up to me, "gay panic" would be no defense.

I'm glad he got at least life in prison. Hopefully the justice system is starting to take violence aganist transwomen seriously.

[Bionca]

This was an amazingly hard time for me personally. This case resonated with me very deeply given I was around Angie's age when I was first sexually/physically assaulted by a guy I had been intimate with. I hadn't realized it, but I have been pretty messed up since I first heard the story in July. It wasn't until I was reading the verdict on Twitter and broke down sobbing that it all hit me.

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by transjen

Wish i attended a highschool like that when i was a teen Jennifer

Unfortunately, that's one of the BIGGEST parts of the problem. Namely, trying to determine "when" it's appropriate for schools to get more involved, and when we should let kids learn or explore things more openly.

In general, most people believe that kids -- certainly young kids -- should be allowed to be kids and there's a sort of "child-like innocence" that should always be protected -- at least for a certain amount of time. In other words, we should let kids play in the sandbox and let them believe in Santa Clause, and we shouldn't be SO quick to ram sex down their throats and turn kids into adults. And that's where the problem REALLY starts since we (as a society) are still having MAJOR problems addressing this. Case in point...

A few months ago there was a news story you might remember. A woman was teaching a class that involved hooking her laptop up to a projector in the classroom. The only problem was, when she booted up her computer porn started to suddenly flash on the screen. Once she saw what was happening, the teacher instantly tried to shut it down -- but the fact that porn was shown got her into instant trouble. She was sued by some parents who felt that their kids had been exposed to sexually explicit material. On the flip side, some experts testified on her behalf in court. They basically noted that in examining the computer, she had actually gotten an internet virus a day or so before and simply didn't realize it. In other words, she thought the computer was fine, so she innocently booted it up in the class...and then suddenly -- BOOM -- the virus kicked in and porn screenshots took over. The defense team argued she wasn't to blame and it could have happened to anyone, though they likewise noted it was a cautionary tale for anyone who surfs the Net these days and what could happen to you (and your computer) if you're not careful.

When that story hit -- as is usually the case with "hot topics" of the moment -- there was a flurry of debate about schools and libraries and computers and the internet. For the most part, most communities and jurisdictions have decided that spam filters and porn blockers are legal on computers in schools. Courts have ruled that in order to safeguard children, filtering computers on school grounds does NOT violate First Amendment rights. Meanwhile, those same courts have ALSO ruled that such filters are ILLEGAL in public libraries, since an adult SHOULD have full access to the internet -- for example, someone who is poor and can't afford to have a computer at home, and thus they have no other choice BUT to use a computer at their local library. That person, as an adult, should NOT have his First Amendment rights to see whatever he wants infringed upon.

The reason I bring this up is because just the other day (and again you might have seen this on the news) is there was some controversy over a school that was blocking access to GBLT web sites because someone felt the sites were PORNOGRAPHIC and blocking them was warranted. Yet on the opposite side, Gay activist groups felt the sites were INFORMATIONAL and that by denying kids access to the sites, the school was infringing on their basic rights to explore their own sexual identity issues.

So now we've come full circle to the issue everyone fights tooth and nail over because it really IS a very telling personal stance: At what age do you think we should let kids in school be taught certain things? And assuming we can even agree on an age, then "what" are you willing to discuss in school?

Me, I remember taking sex education my freshmen or sophomore year in High School. And as I seem to recall, my parents did have to sign off on it. It wasn't an enforced class in the curriculum, which meant parents could still have a choice in the matter. But we had the class then...at the start of High School...because it made the most sense. High School was pretty much the time that your hormones rage, so it made the most sense to pull kids aside THEN and say "Hey you! Mister and Miss Hormone! Here are some things you'd both better know RIGHT NOW to be safe." And the way I see it, Sex Education didn't turn me into a sex crazed maniac -- instead it gave me answers and made me realize how easily teen pregnancy could happen and how easily STDs can be transmitted and all sorts of things I'm glad I found out about before it was too late. That was a case where education worked because it gave me answers to things I needed to know, and in the end it DID protect me.

But as I said, we still have a LONG ways to go since it often seems that we can't even agree to TALK about these things. When you take a topic for debate off the table COMPLETELY and say "Nope, I'm not even willing to discuss this, I'm not even willing to HEAR your ideas", then it's going to be one, long, uphill battle for change to truly take place.

[transjen]

One big problem is there are some people who think that being gay or transgendered is a choice so they think by saying they are freaks there kids will grow up normal, Well i hate to be the bearer of bad news i never woke up one moring and think gee prehaps i'll become a girl wouldn't that be cool to have a sex change. When i was about 5 or 6 i know something wasn't rite and i should be a girl not a boy it took me awhile before i found out about transsexuals and i was not alone but for the longest time i felt that way, I never chose to be transgendered it's just the way i am and believe me highscool was not a fond time for me perhaps if i went to a highscool like Newton perhaps things may have been better S.I.G. Jennifer

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by St. Araqiel

Methinks the fucker is in need of a lethal injection. But at least he didn't get away with it.
If it was up to me, "gay panic" would be no defense.

Originally Posted by ila

I'm glad he got at least life in prison.
Hopefully the justice system is starting to take violence aganist transwomen seriously.

Well, I'll add my voice to those applauding the court's ruling. At heart and on the surface, I'm generally not a supporter of "hate crime" legislation simply because I think that if you kill someone, then you've crossed a line of no return and SERIOUS consequences should follow, no matter who you are. Honestly, if you've KILLED SOMEONE -- if you've actually taken another life -- then odds are pretty damn high you deserve to have your ass handed to you, in one way or another (unless you can show it was in self-defense, like a woman protecting herself from a rapist, that kind of thing). I generally feel that if a person is attacked and somehow the other person dies, I'm willing to give you a pass for self-defense. I think most people feel that way. But if you KILL someone on the road by being a stupid drunk driver or you attacked someone and killed them in a violent rage (as was the case here), then you're up shit's creek as far as I'm concerned. No excuses will be tolerated.

In terms of giving him a lethal injection to pay for his crime, that's the larger debate of the death penalty and whether you believe in it or not. As for Ila's point about the system finally taking notice, I certainly hope so -- but that goes back to my "hate crime" stance. I just think the justice system OVERALL should be far, far, FAR stricter in terms of punishments given out, certainly in cases where someone has died. Yes, I'm a real law and order type of guy.

Frankly, the sheer fact that this guy was even allowed to use "gay panic" as a defense would have me wide-eyed in the court room if I had been a juror. And had I been the Judge, I certainly would have leaned forward and sternly said, "Counselor, approach the bench with your client." Then in a whisper and leaning over the bench, I would have simply added, "You're not ACTUALLY going to use such a LAME defense, are you? SERIOUSLY, if that's going to be your story for why you KILLED a fellow human being, I'm gonna spare everyone the time and money involved in this case and just bang my gavel right now and send your ass off to jail because that is SO FUCKING PATHETIC it's not even worth listening to."

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by Bionca

This was an amazingly hard time for me personally. This case resonated with me very deeply given I was around Angie's age when I was first sexually/physically assaulted by a guy I had been intimate with. I hadn't realized it, but I have been pretty messed up since I first heard the story in July. It wasn't until I was reading the verdict on Twitter and broke down sobbing that it all hit me.

Sorry for your flow of tears, Bionca, but try to look on the bright side here -- hard as that might be given that sadly a life was lost. Finally justice WAS delivered and this bastard DIDN'T get away with it. He's going away for the rest of his life and frankly if this guy thought he had "gay panic" before then wait till he gets to the big house where I'm SURE he will be a continual target for retaliation from the moment he steps through those doors. This guy will spend the rest of his life not only paying for his crime, but constantly looking over his shoulder and living in fear. So in some ways I'm glad he didn't get the death penalty since that almost would have been an easy out for his bastard.

Best of all, a legal precedent has been set so that "gay panic" will have less standing in future cases. In the future, courts will be able to look at this trial and ram home harsher sentences. What really worked here...and what will be the key to future victories in court...is for more prosecuting attorneys to completely focus on the victim being an actual PERSON. So maybe Angie can rest a bit more in peace knowing her sacrifice and lost life will now help so many othes in the future. We can all only hope so.

[smc]

As satisfying as we may find it to see harsh punishment meted out to those who terrorize or kill as this guy did, I fear the real solution does not lie in the criminal justice system. It will take the concerted effort of all of us to combat prejudice at every turn, teach our children well, insist on civil rights (including marriage) for all, and so on, and so on, and so on, until those who spew hate cannot get a hearing and until having sex with any other consenting adult, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is so "normalized" (sorry to use that word, but it's the correct one) that "gay panic" and similar psychological bullshit fades away ... because there is simply nothing to be panicked about.

Utopian? Perhaps. But we have to change how society sees gender and sexuality to get rid of this scourge of violence.