Transgendered/Gender-variant person shot in Memphis

[FreeState]

http://ttgpac.com/2009/06/02/another-shooting-in-memphis/

We were contacted by a reporter with Channel 3 (WREG-TV) who provided a copy of an affidavit of a shooting that occurred in South Memphis on Wednesday, May 27. The man arrested for the shooting, Terron Taylor, told police that he did it because the victim “misrepresented his gender.”

The victim, identified as Kelvin Denton, is in critical condition after being shot in the nose and throat.

At this point, we do not know any details about Denton’s life, but regardless, we abhor this sort of violence for any reason. Our thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition go out to Kelvin, family and friends, for a speedy recovery.

We urge Shelby County authorities to prosecute Taylor aggressively and not permit the use of the trans-panic defense.

We also urge members of the Tennessee General Assembly to pass HB0335 by Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis) and 21 others, and SB0253 by Sens. Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis) and Ophelia Ford (D-Memphis), as soon as they return in January. This bill would add “gender identity or expression” as a hate crimes sentencing enhancement factor to Tennessee Code Annotated 40-35-114. Passage of this bill will make it easier for state and local authorities to track and prosecute hate crimes against all LGBT Tennesseans.

If you do not know the names of your state legislators, go to http://www.capitol.tn.gov.

Federal Legislation:

In addition, we urge swift passage in the United States Senate of S.909, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The House of Representatives has already passed this legislation, which is supported by President Obama, by a vote of 249 to 175.

Please contact both of Tennessee’s Senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and tell them you want to them to support S.909.

We also ask everyone to continue talking to both Representatives and Senators about the importance of the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. We anticipate that ENDA will be introduced in the coming weeks. It is time to end job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. If LGBT people can find, and hold, decent paying jobs, then we are less likely to end up on the streets where we become vulnerable to hate crimes.

[MADem]

1. What a horrible crime and what a stupid, moronic "justification." Hate crime, no question.

As an aside, I know what "transgender" means but "gender variant" is a new term for me.

[FreeState]

2. Gender Variant

usually means the person did not identify as transgendered but rather dressed or acted in ways that are not the standard for the gender norm. I saw the article posted both ways so Im not sure how the victim self identified so I used both.

In college there was a construction worker who use to come into the gas station I worked at. He was a big burley rugged man that was extremely masculine but always painted his nails bright pink and used a purse. He was/is a married straight man with children. He identified as male. (this would be what "gender variant" generally means)


Edited to add Wikipedia's link on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_variance

Gender variance is a term that refers to those expressions of gender (masculinity and femininity) that do not conform to the dominant gender norms of Western culture.

The term is used by scholars of psychology and psychiatry, anthropology, and gender studies, as well as advocacy groups of gender variant people themselves. It is deliberately broad, encompassing such specific terms as transsexual, butch, queen, sissy, travesti, hijra or tomboy. Terms with similar meanings to "gender variance" include "gender nonconformity" (see childhood gender nonconformity) and "gender atypical" (see atypical gender role). The term transgender may be synonymous, but often has a narrower meaning and somewhat different connotations, including a non-identification with the gender assigned at birth, and an association with a social movement that emerged from North America in the late 20th century (see LGBT social movements), which questions the validity of binary gender norms and pursues the political advancement of transgendered people. "Transgender" is also sometimes used to contrast with, rather than encompass, the term "transsexual".

[DarkTirade]

7. In a nutshell, that's basically a nicer term for what we often refer to as 'genderqueer'.

[tnlefty]

3. Could you or someone enlighten me please?

What the hell is the trans-panic defense?

[FreeState]

5. Trans-panic defense

Is when someone uses their fear of a transgendered person as motive for a crime - the general aim is to show that the person being accused of the crime was insane at the time due to finding out that a person was not the gender identity they thought.

Here is a good article on it:

http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/20/trans-panic-defense-underway-in-trial-for-angie-zapatas-murder/

Trans Panic Defense Underway in Trial for Angie Zapata’s Murder

(by the way it did not work in the above case - the perp was sentenced last month to over 100 years without the possibility of parole).

[tnlefty]

6. Thanks! I was cringing thinking that it was going to be

something like that. :puke: I'm glad that it didn't work in that case.

I read a link embedded in the one that you provided to a related topic at Pam's House Blend so it took a little while to respond back. Thanks again.

[lightningandsnow]

4. This is awful.

:cry:

[Wednesdays]

8. K&R

:kick: