|
|||||||
| Register | Forum Rules | Members List | Today's Posts | Search | Bookmark & Share  |
 |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
|
|
|
#1
04-23-2010
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
The simple point that matters here (in my optics at least) is that we're not discussing the wrongs of murder in general but the insane fact that people are getting killed because of their gender identity. Because of whom they are. I'm sorry, but that is a little different from stoned up mafia drug gangs shooting at each other over access to a street corner. Or the jealous hubby who in rage shoots his wife and lover... need I continue? I actually had to check my dictionary for "invective" (English is not my native language) and I admit to being slightly political in my views but hardly in any way invective. Sure, I'll come after you if I find your statements outrageous. And I did. Like me or lump me, that's how I am. I'm not here to win a popularity contest. Besides, rest assured, that I'm not often here anymore :-) Haven't been for a long time as the general discussion is now beginning to repeat itself - and after about 900 postings, I guess I made my point. I'm not a trans myself, but most of my friends are, and I live almost as much with their problems as they do themselves. So I know the pain and I know the fear. And guarded chitchatting gets us nowhere in a political sense. Luckily, where I have my life is less violent. But still... So again, I'm sorry if you felt insulted, but I felt even more insulted by what I perceived as a rather simplistic way of neglecting the fact that cold blooded murder of people who just happen to be transsexual is no different from any other of the many murders you have in your country. Every murder is unique - some just happen to be more unique than others! And killings of transsexuals are so outrageous because they touch on the basic democratic right of being whom you truly are - with your life at stake. That's trans-reality. So sorry for the third time to have stepped on your toes. But I'll probably do it again ;-) Peace H
__________________
- I cherish the fact that the girls I date are braver than I 
|
|
#2
04-25-2010
|
||||
|
||||
|
Another woman has been murdered, this time in Puerto Rico. The article is from canoe.ca.
--------------------------------- --------------------------------- Police search for transgender woman?s killer By DAVID McFADDEN, The Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ? Police are searching for the killer of a transgender woman in Puerto Rico whose naked, battered body was discovered in her home last week, while activists press authorities to probe the slaying as a possible hate crime. Ashley Santiago Ocasio, a 31-year-old beauty salon owner with high cheekbones and a flair for fashion, was shot in the head in the central mountain town of Corozal. Her car was missing and there were no signs of a break-in. The case has grabbed headlines and renewed complaints that Puerto Rico has never invoked a 2002 hate crime law covering crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In the last five months alone, there have been five instances where the statute could have been used, said Pedro Julio Serrano, a spokesman for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. ?The law is very clear and we?re asking authorities to investigate without prejudice,? Serrano said. The grisly scene at Santiago?s home raised suspicion that she may have been targeted because of her gender identity. A common characteristic of hate crime killings is excessive violence done to the victim, and there was so much blood spattered on the walls and floors that police initially believed Santiago had been stabbed repeatedly. ?Even if Ashley?s death was also a robbery, there could be the angle of hate. We need that to be investigated,? Serrano said. Sgt. Luis R. Castro, whose homicide division in the neighboring town of Vega Baja is handling the case, said police will investigate the case as a hate crime if the evidence warrants, but they have not yet made that determination. There are no announced suspects, and an autopsy is pending. Activists said they don?t want Santiago?s case to slip into the shadows like other recent killings where they unsuccessfully pressed authorities to invoke the statute. In November, the body of gay teenager Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was found decapitated and partially burned in another small town. Prosecutors say the alleged killer confessed to stabbing Lopez, who was dressed as a woman, after discovering he was a man. The suspect is facing a charge of first-degree murder, but not a hate crime. In legal terms, the difference is a matter of punishment: A hate crime conviction results in the automatic imposition of the maximum sentence for the underlying offense. For murder aggravated by a hate crime charge, that?s life in prison in Puerto Rico. The Santiago case has also put the often-ignored transgender community in the public spotlight in Puerto Rico. Some local media have referred to Santiago as a ?he,? prompting activists to complain of a lack of respect for the victim. ?That?s how she lived, and her family and friends accepted her for who she was,? Serrano said, adding that Santiago had begun the process of physically becoming a woman by having breast surgery and taking female hormones. Named Juan Antonio at birth, Santiago began identifying as a girl while a teenager, her mother said. Carmen Ocasio told the newspaper Primera Hora she did not think Santiago had any enemies and was at a loss to explain the killing. ?I lost my daughter,? Carmen Ocasio told the paper. ?I?m in shock. Why would someone kill Ashley, why?? Dozens of sobbing mourners attended a memorial service Friday in Corozal, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Santiago?s image. Puerto Rico is a relatively welcoming place for gays compared with more socially conservative Caribbean islands where homosexuals often live in hiding. Rest in peace Ashley. 
|
|
#3
04-25-2010
|
||||
|
||||
|
It is truly tragic when someone is murdered and even more tragic when it's due to a hate crime.
There are several statements and inferences in the article that I take exception to; among them that trans are gay. The media really need to educate themselves so that they know more about what they are reporting on.
|
|
#4
04-25-2010
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
This is a non-apology for going after the wrong person for the wrong thing. You should consider running for political office in the United States. You would fit right in.
|
|
#6
04-25-2010
|
|||
|
|||
|
It said Ashley?s body was battered, a classic sign of a hate crime. The article also makes reference to a previous murder, where the body of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was ?found decapitated and partially burned in another small town. Prosecutors say the alleged killer confessed to stabbing Lopez, who was dressed as a woman, after discovering he was a man.? This too has all the characteristics of a hate crime.
I guess that?s why I started that ?Self Defense? thread a while back. I was literally stunned at the level of violence in these murders. One thing we can do is learn to take care of ourselves and look out for each other. Another thing is to continue to make the public aware of these crimes. I would like to think that most people would never do this sort of thing. Those that do must be stopped. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.
|
|
#7
04-30-2010
|
||||
|
||||
|
I missed a couple of weeks ago that there was an arrest in Amanda's murder. Here is a link to the brief report:
http://www.365gay.com/news/man-arres...sgender-woman/
|
|
#8
04-30-2010
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
|
|
#9
05-03-2010
|
||||
|
||||
|
These things are so sad, and so frightening ... what a world we live in ....
|
|
|
|
Hybrid Mode
