Transgender Woman Murdered in Houston; Some Media Coverage Misses the Mark
January 25, 2010
GLAAD joined Pride Houston on Monday in an effort to correct problematic news coverage about the tragic murder of Myra Chanel Ical, a transgender woman whose half-naked body was found in the Montrose area of Houston on Jan. 18.
Authorities have no suspects in the case.
The Houston Police Department issued a Press Release last Wednesday which incorrectly identified Ms. Ical by the male pronoun.
Following the BPD’s lead, The Houston Chronicle published an article on Jan. 20 which erroneously calls Ms. Ical “a man” and also uses the male pronoun. Both the BPD and The Houston Chronicle also list Ical’s birth name as primary identification.
Both The Associated Press and The New York Times’s style guidelines prohibit reporters from using a pronoun that an individual does not prefer.
From The Associated Press:
“Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.
“If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.”
From The New York Times:
“Unless a former name is newsworthy or pertinent, use the name and pronouns (he, his, she her hers) preferred by the transgender person. If no preference is known, use the pronouns consistent with the way the subject lives publicly.”
Houston’s local Fox affiliate, KRIV-Fox 26, also failed to accurately report the murder, again incorrectly calling Ms. Ican “a man” and listing her birth name, rather than her lived name.
It should be noted, meanwhile, that Houston’s local CBS affiliate, KHOU-11, fairly and accurately reported on the murder and even reached out to the Transgender Foundation of America for its story:
After being alerted to the problematic coverage, GLAAD contacted Pride Houston to offer our assistance in the matter.
(To read Pride Houston President Meghan Stabler’s analysis of local media coverage, click here)
GLAAD has since reached out to both The Houston Chronicle and Fox-26 Houston and requested that their stories be changed to reflect accurate terminology.
A candlelight vigil for Myra Chanel Ical will be held tonight, January 25, 2010, at 9 P.M. at the site where Myra’s body was discovered. Please join over 160 confirmed attendees to remember Myra’s life and raise awareness about anti-transgender violence.
For more information about tonight’s vigil click here, or visit the Memorial for Myra Ical Facebook page.
Anyone who might know anything about this crime or who might have witnessed it is urged to call Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-8477 tips hotline or submitted online at www.crimestoppers.org that leads to the identification, arrest and/or charging of the any of the suspects in this case.
GLAAD will continue to insist that media fairly and accurately report on the murder of Myra Ical. Updates will be made available on GLAADblog.org
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UPDATE: KRIV- Fox 26 Houston Drastically Improves Coverage after GLAAD Outreach
Last night, approximately 200 advocates and allies gathered on the 4300 block of Garrott in Houston to remember Myra Chanel Ical.
Fox 26 Houston was on the scene and made notable improvements in its reporting after GLAAD and Pride Houston reached out to the network.
Fox 26 originally identified Myra as a man and used her birth name instead of her lived name.
GLAAD applauds KRIV-Fox 26 Houston adhering to journalistic standards of fairness and staying in-line with contemporary usage. We will continue to act as a resource for Fox 26 in its future LGBT reporting.
Related Posts:As Hate Crimes Continue, Need for LGBT Protections Increases
October 13, 2009
This weekend’s widely publicized National Equality March called on activists and government officials alike to take action to end inequality.
Already at least one issue of LBGT equality appears very close to resolution – the expansion of federal hate crime legislation to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. One accomplishment that President Obama shared at the HRC Gala Dinner on Friday evening included the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act through the House of Representatives last week, as reported by The New York Times last Thursday. Attached to the National Defense and Authorization Act of 2009 in July, the bill is now expected to pass the Senate as well, and land on the President’s desk within the week.
The Colorado Independent quoted the bill’s cosponsoring Congresswoman Diana Degette (D-CO):
When signed by President Obama, this will be the first federal law specifically protecting LGBT Americans. This Act will provide state and local law enforcement agencies with resources they need to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, while also protecting the exercise of free speech under our Constitution.
However, no sooner had the march concluded in Washington, D.C. than The New York Times and the New York Daily News were back reporting on the beating of a gay man in College Point, Queens as he left his neighborhood deli early Friday morning. The man is being treated for a fractured jaw, ribs, and lacerated spleen but is now in stable condition. Police have categorized the assault as a hate crime based on New York State legislation, which does classify crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation as hate crimes.
There is currently no similar classification, at either the state or national level, for crimes motivated by a victim’s gender identity. This gaping legal hole was most recently exposed by the verbal and physical attacks endured by Carmella Etienne, a transgender woman who shared her story of assault at last week’s Transgender Hate Crimes panel in Brooklyn. Etienne, also attacked in her own neighborhood in Queens, had rocks and empty beer bottles hurled at her by a group of young men, who taunted her with antigay and transphobic slurs. As The New York Times’ CityRoom blog reports:
The attackers’ use of homophobic slurs could be used to prosecute them under New York State’s hate crime law, but the taunts about her gender identity would not be covered under that statute.
Similarly, when 22-year-old Lateisha Green was shot last year in a car in Syracuse simply for being a transgender woman, her attack could only be categorized as a hate crime based on the antigay slurs from her assailant.
According to Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, which represented both Carmella Etienne and the Green family, a “hate crime charge could mean the difference between a one-day jail sentence and a minimum three-and-a-half-year sentence.”
We will continue to keep you informed about media coverage of inclusive hate crimes legislation at both national and state levels.
Related Posts:Transgender Hate Crimes Panel Provides Personal Stories as well as Advocacy Insight
October 8, 2009
Wednesday evening’s panel on transgender hate-crimes in Brooklyn, New York, covered a range of perspectives and issues as victims, their families, and advocates discussed both their direct experience with bias-motivated crime and their work to educate the media, the government and law enforcement about gender identity and expression and anti-transgender crimes.
The event began with GLAAD’s own Senior Media Strategist Andy Marra and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund’s executive director Michael Silverman relating the complications and they faced during their recent work in Syracuse, N.Y. during the July trial held for Lateisha Green’s murder. First, they encountered the unfortunately common problem of law enforcement officials and reporters relaying incorrect information about the victim’s identity and dress; next came the prolonged effort to ensure that the crime was investigated as a hate crime and given the priority investigation status it merited; and finally, the complex issue of educating the media about Lateisha Green’s transgender identity while fighting in court, out of necessity, for a conviction under the category of a hate-crime committed on the basis of sexual orientation.
As explained in the Appendix of TLDEF’s Violence Against Transgender People Resource Kit, while New York State law classifies it as a hate crime for an individual to target and attack a victim because of the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, it does not explicitly make it a hate crime for an individual to attack another because of the victim’s gender identity or expression. The Boy in Bushwick blog quoted Michael Silverman describing how lawyers had to construct a “narrative that Teish was gay or lesbian to achieve a conviction.”
Federal law currently offers no recourse in that area either, though that seems about to change within just a few weeks when the Senate is expected to pass the new Defense Authorization bill with the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act attached – which will expand the existing federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
The discussion then quickly moved to the first-hand experiences of Lateisha’s mother Roxanne Green, brother Mark Cannon (also shot by Lateisha’s killer that night), and friends, who all conveyed their great love for and pride in Lateisha. Mrs. Green spoke very movingly about her constant concern for her daughter as she grew up, as well as her constant support for her, [advising] parents to always support their children no matter who they are “because once they’re gone, Lord knows there’s no turning back.”
Another client of TLDEF’s, Carmella Etienne, shared her more recent trauma of being attacked with rocks and beer bottles as she walked home from her neighborhood grocery store in Queens this July. She recalled feeling most scarred not by the physical objects or the transphobic slurs being hurled at her, but rather by the lack of aid from onlookers and the 20 minutes she spent waiting for police assistance.
One of the major take-aways from the conversation was that there is no one single reason for the perpetration and general tolerance of crimes motivated by anti-transgender bias. It is not simply transphobia, or sexism alone at work, but rather the way that those issues are intertwined with issues of classism and racism that have allow crimes such as these to continue in our communities. But speaking out about these experiences and intersections will go a long way toward solving these problems.
The panel was moderated by Ejay Carter, the Empire State Pride Agenda’s Transgender Rights Program Organizer. The event was organized by Laura Vogel, a Legal Fellow at TLDEF and third year law student at Brooklyn Law School and cosponsored by Brooklyn Law School, Empire State Pride Agenda, GLAAD, Queens Pride House, Anti-Violence Project, and the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA).
Related Posts:TONIGHT – Transgender Hate Crimes Panel Discussion
October 7, 2009
Transgender Hate Crimes: Victims, Their Families & Advocates Speak Out
Wed, Oct 7th, 7pm
Brooklyn Law School, Forchelli Conference Center
205 State Street, Brooklyn
(Free and open to the public.)
GLAAD is pleased to participate in this evening’s community conversation about the violence that is perpetrated against people because of their gender identity or expression, and strategies to prevent and respond to it.
Our Senior Media Strategist Andy Marra will join Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund executive director Michael Silverman and Empire State Pride Agenda transgender rights program organizer Ejay Carter in discussing this hate-motivated violence and the status of gender identity and expression in federal and state hate crime laws. The family of Lateisha Green, the 22-year-old transgender woman whose death led to New York State’s first hate crime trial and conviction will be present along with two of TLDEF’s current clients, Leslie Mora and Carmella Etienne (who were each victims of separate hate crimes in Queens) to speak about their experience with such violence.
In July, GLAAD helped spotlight the guilty verdict announced in the trial held for Lateisha Green’s shooting. Andy Marra was on the ground in Syracuse, NY working closely with family, media outlets, TLDEF and Empire State Pride Agenda to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive media coverage of the case.
TLDEF’s media advisory for the event cites statistics from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs that show murders of LGBT people in 2008 increased 28% from the previous year and that on average, a transgender person is murdered once a month in the United States.
We hope to see you at tonight’s event and will continue to update you regarding media coverage of crimes motivated by anti-LGBT bias.
Related Posts:Man Sentenced to 25 Years for the Killing of Lateisha Green
August 18, 2009
Dwight DeLee was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime in the shooting of Lateisha Green, the Associated Press reports. Green, a transgender woman, was shot to death while sitting in a car outside of a house party with her brother and a friend in November 2008. Witnesses at the scene stated that DeLee and others made anti-gay slurs at the time of the shooting.
As GLAAD earlier reported, DeLee was the second person in the country to be convicted of a hate crime for killing a transgender person. The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) clarified the manslaughter charges in a blog posted during the trial of Dwight DeLee:
Manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime requires that an individual intends to cause serious physical injury to a person because of a belief regarding that person’s sexual orientation, and causes serious physical injury to that person or a third person.
DeLee received the maximum sentence and will also be subject to five years of supervision after the sentence is served.
The TLDEF, along with GLAAD and the Empire State Pride Agenda, has been working closely with Green’s family. It released a statement welcoming the sentencing, but urging more action on hate crime legislation. The TLDEF said:
Neither New York State law nor federal law includes gender identity or expression as hate crime categories and that sends a dangerous message that it is acceptable to leave part of our community vulnerable to hateful acts of violence simply because of who they are. We call upon our state and federal lawmakers to ensure adoption of transgender-inclusive legislation that will protect everyone regardless of their gender identity and gender expression.
The TLDEF statement also includes a statement from the Green family, who said:
Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that violence motivated by anti-transgender bias is unacceptable and wrong. It affects everyone in a community and it has left many hurt and distraught. We can only hope that Teish’s story will prevent any more loss of life simply because someone is different.
Local Syracuse stations ABC 9, NBC 3, and CBS 5 have continued to report on the Lateisha Green story and all have coverage of the sentencing on their websites.
Essence recently published a profile of Lateisha Green that gives insight into the life of transgender people.
GLAAD will continue to monitor this event and bring you coverage on all events surrounding the sentencing of Dwight DeLee.
Related Posts:BREAKING NEWS: Jury Finds Dwight DeLee Guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree as a Hate Crime in Lateisha Green Case
July 17, 2009
A jury today found Dwight Delee guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime after he brutally gunned down Lateisha Green, an African American transgender woman in Syracuse, New York last November.
GLAAD’s incoming President Jarrett Barrios said:
Today’s verdict brings justice for Lateisha Green, but it can never heal the immense loss her family has experienced. We join Lateisha Green’s family in mourning her tragic death and honoring her legacy, and we call on the media to spotlight the pervasive violence our community continues to face across the nation.
See GLAAD’s full statement on the verdict here.
Delee was also found guilty of possession of a weapon and is to be sentenced on August 18.
Several witnesses said they heard DeLee refer to Green as a “fa–ott” just before Green was shot with a .22-caliber rifle while sitting in a parked car outside the party.
After six hours the jury reached its verdict of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime.
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund clarifies the charges on its blog:
Manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime requires that an individual intends to cause serious physical injury to a person because of a belief regarding that person’s sexual orientation, and causes serious physical injury to that person or a third person.
Green’s family responded to the verdict by remembering Lateisha:
Teish, a beautiful girl. A wonderful daughter. A brave soul. Teish was all of these things despite the adversity that regularly tried to weigh her down and overshadow her love of life. She was taken away from us too soon. All it took was one bullet. A bullet from a rifle that pierced her lungs and heart. And it took this one mere bullet to end Teish’s life because she happened to be a transgender woman. We have spent months waiting for this day to come.
GLAAD’s Senior Media Strategist, Andy Marra, sat in on the DeLee trial in Syracuse, New York. Marra’s account of the trial and subsequent verdict can be found here.
GLAAD will continue to monitor the media’s coverage of Dwight DeLee’s conviction for the killing of Lateisha Green. Updates can be found on glaadBLOG.org.
Related Posts:GLAAD in Syracuse for Lateisha Green’s Trial
July 10, 2009
I am on the ground in Syracuse preparing for next week’s court trial involving the murder of Lateisha Green. I will be in Syracuse with a couple of our sister organizations throughout the entire trial working with both the family and media outlets covering this profoundly sad story.
On November 14, 2008, “Teish,” a young African American transgender woman, was shot and killed. You can read more about her story here.
For the past few months, I have been working with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) and the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York to raise awareness around Teish’s murder and ensure media coverage is fair and accurate throughout the trial.
Lateisha Green. Image from News-10.
This particular trial is important. Teish’s murder will be the first hate crimes prosecution in New York State involving the murder of a transgender person. It is also the first murder ever classified as a hate crime in Onondaga County.
On Monday, July 13, Dwight DeLee will go on trial for the murder of Lateisha Green. If DeLee is found guilty, it will be only the second conviction involving the murder of a transgender person as a hate crime in the United States. The first occurred earlier this year in the trial for the murder of Angie Zapata in Greeley, Colorado – you can read about our extensive work with the Zapata family here.
Prior to the trial, GLAAD, TLDEF and the Rainbow Alliance have planned a community memorial service at a local church to remember Teish and her life. Teish’s family will deliver brief remarks followed by a few performances by local groups. The service will close with doves and bubbles being released outside of the sanctuary.
I have been speaking with reporters and journalists about the memorial service. We are expecting The Associated Press and The Syracuse Post-Standard among a few others to attend the service and provide coverage leading up to Monday’s trial.
We have also arranged for a press conference to occur before the trial begins on Monday. Roxanne Greene, Teish’s mother, will deliver a brief statement, followed by remarks from the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and Empire State Pride Agenda.
I wanted to provide our readers with a few details about what you can do before the trial begins to unfold:
- We wanted to let you know that readers can submit personal notes of encouragement to Lateisha’s family during this difficult time. You can email correspondence to: rgreen269@gmail.com. We cannot guarantee the family will be able to reply to your emails. Please do not direct media requests to the family’s email address. GLAAD is fielding all media requests for the family, so please email me instead at marra@glaad.org.
- Make sure to visit and join the Justice For Teish Facebook group for news and updates about the trial. The group has 4730 members and counting. GLAAD and TLDEF are administrators so we will be posting information to update members throughout the trial.
- GLAAD and TLDEF have also teamed up to tweet live throughout our time in Syracuse:
You can follow me on Twitter for media developments, observations during the court trial and other updates at @Andy_Marra.
I will also be blogging throughout the trial to keep our readers updated on the trial and any related developments.
Please also follow Michael Silverman on Twitter for legal analysis and commentary related to the court trial at @TLDEF.
I need to go and prepare for several meetings including one with Lateisha’s family. But make sure to check back often for the latest developments at GLAADblog or by following us on Twitter.
Related Posts:GLAAD Reaches Out to Blog That Dehumanizes Transgender People
June 26, 2009
As the result of constituents contacting GLAAD, we have reached out to the site owners of a blog that dehumanizes transgender people and their experiences. Tranny Alert is a website that posts pictures of people who are perceived to be transgender and encourages readers to submit photos of perceived transgender people for the blog to publish and provide commentary. It is unclear whether the site’s subjects have provided consent to have their pictures taken and published in this context.
Lateisha Green
GLAAD has reached out to the blog about the defamatory nature of their content with their problematic language including the words “tranny,” “trannie” and “he/she.” We also expressed our concerns about the potential danger the site’s subjects could face as a result of having their gender identity and gender expression shared without their consent.
Given that transgender people are disproportionately targeted for violence, willfully subjecting them to this kind of online scrutiny could very well put their lives in danger. We need not look far to know how violence disproportionately impacts transgender people. Recent examples include Angie Zapata and Lateisha Green.
A Call to Action against Tranny Alert was started by a Livejournal user named gudbuytjane and it appears to have been quite effective. The blog’s Facebook page has already been taken down.
Tranny Alert remains active on Twitter. Some Twitter users have been tweeting #trannyalertfail to express their alarm and concern for the site’s questionable content.
Initially, @TrannyAlert tweeted the following in response to readers submitting their concerns:
Tranny Alert will be releasing a statement in the next 24 hours regarding the recent backlash.
Later, the blog sent out another tweet about readers concerns:
Wow people really need to get a f*cking sense of humor.
If you would like to share your own concerns about Tranny Alert and their content, you can email them at:
mayday@tranny-alert.com
You can also share your concerns about their problematic language and content with Blogger, the blog service that currently hosts Tranny Alert. You can contact them with your concerns here.
Blogger’s policy specifically states:
Blogger strongly believes in freedom of speech. We believe that having a variety of perspectives is an important part of what makes blogs such an exciting and diverse medium. With that said, there are certain types of content that are not allowed on Blogger. While Blogger values and safeguards political and social commentary, material that promotes hatred toward groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity is not allowed on Blogger.
Please stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send Senior Media Strategist Andy Marra a Tweet at @andy_marra
Related Posts:Media Coverage of Transgender Day of Remembrance Grows, Remains Respectful
November 24, 2008
One of the most important and somber days of the year for gay and transgender communities and our allies occurred last Thursday as communities around the world commemorated Transgender Day of Remembrance.
While these events are primarily a way to memorialize and honor the lives of transgender people, media plays a key role in illuminating transgender experiences. Accurate and fair portrayals of Transgender Day of Remembrance events helps to expand public awareness and understanding of transgender lives.
This year, press coverage of the events grew in both national and local regions. Sadly, this seems to be linked to the recent murders throughout November. Coverage this year was particularly poignant in Tennessee, New York, and Florida where recent deaths shocked and galvanized communities. The recent murders of Duanna Johnson and Lateisha Green, and the recent death of Aimee Wilcoxson brought issues of anti-discrimination laws, proper health care, and community responses to violence into media focus.
One of the many news outlets that overall accurately covered the Day of Remembrance was News-10 in New York. News-10 originally had inaccurately reported on the murder of Lateisha “Teish” Green in Syracuse, however they quickly corrected their reports after outreach from GLAAD and local community organizations. On Friday, the station explored the meaning of Transgender Day of Remembrance vigils, focusing on the local one for Lateisha Green. From the article:
“Many may think that violence against transgender individuals happens in bigger cities. But that, in fact, is not the case. And the recent murder of Teish Cannon brought that to the forefront.”
Reports from Tennessee closely followed Duanna Johnson, often reporting on the pending legal case against the Memphis Police Department and the ongoing instigation into her murder by the FBI. The day before the Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov 19, MyFOX and MyEyewitness News both reported that one of the officers responsible for her assault, Bridges McRae, had been indicted. National publications such as the New York Times also covered the assault and her death.
Reporters also covered the vigil for Duanna, which occurred on Nov 16. From MyEyewitness News:
“Back at the vigil on the streets of Midtown Memphis, those paying their respects to Duanna Johnson honored her as a woman who became the face of the fight against racism, homophobia and transphobia. They remembered her as a woman who received no justice in life, but whose life and struggle for equality will not be forgotten.”
Other local outlets included Maryland’s The Herald Mail, which focused on job discrimination.
The quarterly magazine ColorLines reported on the day in their blog, RaceWire. The blog, written by ColorLines‘ Managing Editor, focused on the reporter’s personal experience covering the murder of Gwen Araujo in 2002. Gwen was a Latina transgender woman whose case made headlines across the nation, the reporter compared Gwen’s story to the brutal and devastating murder of another Latina woman who was murdered this year, Angie Zapata of Greeley Colo.
Casual Loafing, a weekly alternate newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Fla covered the day in their blog, Daily Loaf, as well. The blog focused on the murder of Simmie Williams, a Fort Lauderdale resident, who was murdered in February of this year. The reporter highlighted how underreported anti-transgender violence is:
“It’s definitely a problem and one that gets little coverage and even less understanding. One just has to look at the Pinellas County Commission’s decision this year to not cover transgender folks with their revamped Human Rights Ordinance. Or the circus surrounding Susan Stanton.”
Online networks and blogs also observed the day with bloggers from Jezebel, feministe, and feministing all participating in remembering the names of those murdered this year and in providing information on vigils and other events.
The Day of Remembrance was commemorated on many college campuses as well, with reports from newspapers such as Penn State’s The Daily Collegian, Purdue University’s The Exponent, the University of Georgia’s Red and Black, University of Tulsa’s The Collegian, and Towson University’s The Towerlight, reporting on the ways in which transgender lives are remembered on campuses throughout the nation. Vanderbilt University’s InsideVany reported on the campuses’ first-ever Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The University of Minnesota paper MN Daily included a long column on the importance of both remembering the dead, and working to improve the lives of the living:
“For many transgender people, the threat or the fact of physical and psychological violence is a daily reality. The fear and risk that accompany performing a non-normative gender are shaped simultaneously by their experiences of identities. The terrain of work for justice, equity and compassion for people who experience gender violence demands that we uplift and engage in all of these struggles. Thus, the challenge — and the promise — lies in working together, and in creating space to honor the multiple dimensions of each of our identities so that each person might be able to be present, to live in their bodies in their fullness.“
As we reported yesterday, international coverage has also been ongoing as the Transgender Day of Remembrance is commemorated across the globe.
Amanda Morgan – “What Does the Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You?”
November 21, 2008
The Transgender Day of Remembrance will be observed this Thursday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD will be blogging about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout the week.
We asked transgender people and allies to respond to the question “What does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to you?” This response is from Amanda Morgan.
Amanda Morgan is a photographer and writer whose work explores identity and relationships. She is particularly interested in issues of race, gender, sexuality, class, you can view her work on her Web site. Amanda is currently a Vaid Fellow for the National Gay & Lesbian TaskForce where she is working on issues of aging, bisexuality, and transgender discrimination in communities of color.
Amanda Morgan
Amanda’s response first appeared on the National Gay & Lesbian TaskForce’s OutSpoken blog. To find out more about the survey on transgender discrimination go here.
Remembrance Into Action
Transgender Day of Remembrance feels especially sad this year, with Duanna Johnson and Latiesha Green, two black trans women, murdered within a week of each other and another trans woman of color I met just a few weeks ago dead from as yet undisclosed causes.
I am often made aware of the vulnerability of our bodies when we are transgender or gender non-conforming and of color, but on this day it feels especially pertinent.
I am lucky – I have made it through my life thus having survived attacks that were not fatal or permanently disabling and having only received intimidation or threats based on my gender identity/sexual orientation. But many are not so lucky, 16 trans people have been murdered thus far this year and out of those 16, 11 are identified as people of color; the other five have not been publicly identified as belonging to any racial group. Ariel Herrera of Amnesty International has noted, “The most vulnerable are transgendered individuals of color. They are the most stigmatized in the community and often targeted by police.”
Despite this seemingly common knowledge, we are extremely lacking in terms of any real statistical analysis when it comes to the widespread discrimination and violence against trans people in this country. And without numbers, advocating for systemic change and better policies and laws to protect trans folks becomes difficult. It’s hard to get people outside the community to pay attention to our voices when our stories remain, from their perspective, merely anecdotal.
This is what motivated the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality to partner in launching a survey on the discrimination against transgender and gender nonconforming people. The survey opened in September, shortly before I began my fellowship at the Task Force. When the Policy Institute staff met to discuss what our roles would be, I already knew what I wanted to do. I volunteered to help administer the survey to people in the community without Internet access and to take the lead of people of color outreach in the New York metropolitan area.
The process of proctoring these surveys has been emotional, as I knew it would be. I have met and spoken to trans folks of color who are survivors of violent attacks, harassment and police intimidation, including false charges.
Every week, I hear the voices and stories of a community with few places to turn. Where do you go when someone in your neighborhood is leaving death threats on your door and you feel that the police can’t be counted on to value, let alone protect, your life? Like I said, I am lucky. When I was pulled over by a police officer who read me as male, all I had to put up with was a long series of condescending “young man’s,” as the officer handled me like the ignorant young black male he believed me to be, despite the information on my license. I still wonder how much worse that night could have been if he discovered my gender did not match up in the way he thought it should.
In the midst of so much, it is important to take time to grieve over those we have lost as well as for the rights we are repeatedly denied. But as often as I am reminded of how much we have lost and how much further we still have to go, I am also reminded of the hard work of healing being done by the wonderful trans folks that have invited me to their drop-in centers and support groups.
I am reminded of the bravery of each trans and gender con-conforming person pursuing the richness of a self-actualized life as opposed to one of self-denial. I think of these things and I am encouraged and I only pause for a second because there is too much to do.
If only there was some way to get this survey to every trans or gender nonconforming person in the country so not a single story would ever be lost again. Knowing this is not possible, I am doing everything I can to get the word out to transgender and gender nonconforming folks of color, because right now, in terms of survey results, our voices are the softest.
And yet, the news of murders within our community, and the subsequent media misrepresentation and degradation of said murder victims, maintains a near omnipresent hum. My wish for this year is that we don’t let the headlines have the last word.
The 10th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 20, 2008
The below post is written by Moe Macarow, GLAAD’s Media Programs Fellow.
Today marks the 10th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, an international observance honoring the lives lost due to anti-transgender violence in the U.S. and around the world.
If this were one week ago, I would have blogged about fifteen transgender and gender non-conforming people who were murdered in America this year. Not only is fifteen a high number, it is most likely underestimated. A large number of transgender deaths go unreported or misreported, and accurate statistics are impossible to calculate since they are not collected, mostly due to lack of federal hate crimes protections for transgender Americans.
If this were one week ago, the list of 15 names we would pause to remember would have included the names of Brian McGlothin, Patricia Murphy, Stacy Brown, Adolphus Simmons, Ashley Sweeney, Sanesha Stewart, Lawrence King, Simmie Williams, Lloyd Nixon, Ebony Whitaker, Angie Zapata, Jaylynn L. Namauu, Ruby Molina and Aimee Wilcoxson.
However, last Friday we sadly added one more name to the list of lives lost this year due to anti-transgender hatred and prejudice.
Lateisha Green. Image from News-10.
The sixteenth death was Lateisha Green. Only 22, Green was shot to death outside a friend’s house on the night of November 14 in Syracuse, New York. Her friend Alyssa Davis had called her to invite her over to a party, where she was murdered while standing in front of the house for nothing more than being transgender. And just days before the 2008 observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) estimates that 1 in 12 transgender Americans face the chance of being murdered, and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP)’s recent report showed that the largest increase in violence against any demographic targeted transgender men.
These statistics are unacceptable.
This year for Transgender Day of Remembrance, we should not only honor the victims of senseless, hate-motivated violence – we must work each day forward to make sure that these sixteen lives are the last victims to be mourned.
Today, we must pledge to speak out against hate and for transgender equality. We must strive as a community to put an end to anti-transgender violence. Even one more murder is too many.
And if you have experienced discrimination because of your gender identity or expression, reach out to the community and call the:
- Sylvia Rivera Law Project at (212) 337-8550
- Transgender Law Center at (415) 865-0176
- Anti-Violence Projectat (212) 714-1141 (24-hour bilingual hotline)
- Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund at (646) 862-9396
Vigil Held for Lateisha Green
November 19, 2008
A vigil was held last night for Lateisha Green, a 22 year-old African American transgender woman. Lateisha, also known as Teish, was murdered Monday in Syracuse, NY.
According to an article from News 10, Lateisha’s family and friends as well as community members attended the vigil. The Director of the Syracuse University’s LGBT Resource Center, Adrea Jaehnig, noted that such a murder often has deeper meanings for the community.
Lateisha Green. Image from News-10.
“We should be concerned and outraged that this happened, but I think we need to look deeper at the roots of where this hatred comes from.”
Lateisha’s family and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund are requesting that the murder be investigated as a potential hate crime. According to the same article, police believe Lateisha was killed because of who she was, but are still investigating. The District Attorney’s office will determine if the murder is a hate crime.
Vera House, a support center for survivors of domestic and sexual assault, has set up a crisis response number to assist with Lateisha’s death. If you need to talk about the crime and how it’s impacting you or a loved one, you can call (315) 468-3260.
Transgender Week of Remembrance: Reflecting Upon Those Lost
November 18, 2008
While last month marked the 10th year of remembrance of Matthew Shepard’s death, November brings another solemn observance in the LGBT community. This Thursday, people across the world will be recognizing the 10th Transgender Day of Remembrance. Here at glaadBLOG, we are reflecting upon the lives tragically lost because of anti-transgender hate crimes this past year.
Statistics from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Program’s report on anti-LGBT violence in 2007 showed that there was still a great amount of work to be done. The largest increase of anti-LGBT violence in any demographic category was against transgender men. 16% of total anti-LGBT reports of violence were anti-transgender motivated.
But in 2008, high profile murders of transgender people and people targeted for their gender expression reached double digits. There have been 16 transgender people murdered during 2008 in the US. But it is vital to remember that a large number of transgender murders go underreported or misreported and an accurate statistic is impossible to calculate. According to an estimate by the Human Rights Campaign transgender Americans have a one-in-12 chance of being murdered
The transgender people who have lost their lives in the past year range in age, ethnicity and geographic location, but were all victims of senseless, hate-motivated crimes. Here at GLAAD, we have worked closely with many family and friends of victims to help heighten awareness of hate crimes against transgender people across the nation. We ask that you not only reflect upon those we have lost as we approach the Transgender Day of Remembrance, but throughout the entire year, as we strive as a community to put an end to anti-transgender violence.
- Brian McGlothin. Date of Death: December 23, 2007. Brian wore gender non-conforming clothing and lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brian was shot in the head by Antonio Williams, who is currently serving a six-year sentence. Very little information was released about Brian or the crime. Brian was 25 years old.
- Patricia Murphy. Date of Death: January 8, 2008. Patricia was a drag performer and an icon in Albuquerque’s LGBT community. She had won the title of Miss New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association in 2008. Patricia was working towards a nursing degree and was the caretaker to an elderly man. She was shot in the head multiple times by Dana Madsen, who was arrested for the murder. Sharon Hardin, who had known Patricia for 12 years, said: “She had a heart of gold.” Patricia was 39 years old.
- Stacy Brown. Date of Death: January 8, 2008. Stacy was a transgender woman living in Baltimore with her mother and sister. She was found shot to death and police have yet to gain any leads on her murder. Very little information was released on Stacy or the crime. She was 30 years old.
- Adolphus Simmons. Date of Death: January 21, 2008. Adolphus wore gender non-conforming clothing and was embraced as a dear friend by his neighbors in the North Carolina apartment building where he lived. Family and friends described Adolphus as “jovial” and “a jokester“. Adolphus had recently begun a career as a hairdresser. He was shot dead while taking the trash out by a 15-year-old male. Adolphus was only 18 years old.
- Ashley Sweeney. Date of Death: February 4, 2008. Ashley was a young transgender woman living in Detroit, Michigan. She died from a fatal shot to the head. Very little information is known about Ashley and the crime. The National Center for Transgender Equality accused the Detroit Police Department of mishandling the case, as the department did not release the pertinent information involved in the case. Her age is unknown.
- Sanesha Stewart. Date of Death: February 10, 2008. Sanesha was a transgender woman from the Bronx, New York. She was stabbed to death by Steve McMillan, who was arrested by police. There was a notable amount of defamatory and sensationalized coverage surrounding Sanesha’s death. She was 25 years old.
- Lawrence King. Date of Death: February 12, 2008. Lawrence was a 15-year-old student who wore gender non-conforming clothes. Lawrence was shot and killed by a classmate. The murder was the most high-profile hate crime case of 2008. For more on Lawrence, you can check back to this previous blog post.
- Simmie Williams. Date of Death: February 22, 2008. Simmie was a gender non-conforming 17-year old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida who was planning on getting a GED and going to culinary school. Simmie was shot and killed by two men.
- Lloyd Nixon. Date of Death: April 16, 2008. Very little is known about Lloyd, who was a 45-year old transgender person. Lloyd was beaten to death with a brick in West Palm Beach, Florida.
- Ebony Whitaker. Date of Death: July 1, 2008. Ebony was a transgender woman living in Memphis, Tennessee. She was found shot to death and the police have yet to arrest any suspects. Ebony was only 20 years old. Much of the coverage, of what little there was, was defamatory.
- Angie Zapata. Date of Death: July 17, 2008. Angie was a young transgender woman living in Greeley, Colorado. She was found murdered in her apartment with severe fractures in her skull, beaten to death. Police arrested Allen Andrade for the hate crime. Angie was only 18 years old. Coverage of the hate crime reached a national level, with articles in The New York Times and on the ABC News website.
- Jaylynn L. Namauu. Date of Death: July 17, 2008. Jaylynn was a 35-year old transgender woman living in Makiki Honolulu, Hawaii. She was stabbed to death by Joel Allen, who has been arrested by police. Local coverage of the case was alarmingly defamatory, calling the murder “not a hate crime.” GLAAD reached out to local reporters who promised to improve future coverage. Very little is known about Jaylynn.
- Ruby Molina. Date of Death: September 21, 2008. Ruby was a transgender woman living in Sacramento. Her body was pulled from the American River. Police originally called “no foul play” on the case, but later described situation as merely “suspicious.” No suspects have been found. Ruby was 22-years old.
- Aimee Wilcoxson. Date of Death: November 3, 2008. Aimee was a transgender woman living in Aurora, Colorado. She was found dead in her home. Police have yet to release details, but have stated that the signs lead to suicide, something that friends and family are not satisfied with. Aimee was described as “a woman who loved to laugh, loved Madonna and who advocated for other transgender woman who, like her, had been diagnosed with HIV.” She was 34 years old.
- Duanna Johnson. Date of Death: November 9, 2008. As we blogged about earlier this week, Duanna was fatally shot in Memphis Tennessee earlier this month. Duanna was a transgender woman who has suffered physical and verbal harassment by the Memphis Police following a faulty arrest. Duanna was planning on moving back to her hometown of Chicago. Police have yet to arrest any suspects. Duanna was 42 years old.
- Lateisha Green. Date of Death: November 14, 2008. Lateisha was a young transgender woman who was fatally shot last Friday in Syracuse, New York. Dwight DeLee was arrested for the hate crime and is being held without bail. Lateisha was only 22-years old.
For more information on the Transgender Day of Remembrance please visit www.transgenderdor.org and www.gender.org/remember.
