The study done by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in collaboration with the National Committee for Transgender Equality, the fruits of a survey of 6,450 transgender participants culminated in the publication of "Executive Summary; Injustice at Every Turn", an indept view of the way transgenders are still kept at the very bottom of the 'totem pole' of society. Subjected to discrimination in housing, employment, medical care and violence in varying levels; from verbal abuse to death.
Much of the violence against transgender individuals does not see the light of day to the general population OR the rest of the GNC community, it seems, because the media too often just doesn't seem to view it as "news", unless it happens to be video-taped and becomes 'viral' (and then the attention is very limited). Inequality in the investigation and prosecution of these cases also makes them too many times, fall short of comprehensive punishment (or indeed allow them to fall under the perview of the newly signed Hate Crimes Bill; the authorities generally balk at categorizing them as such).
While doing my research persuiant to the coming TDOR, I came upon the story below, and felt that I would be greatly remiss in my attempt to make abitchforjustice 'a blog for transgender advocacy', if I didn't do what I could to shine a spotlight on this, another incident of transgender injustice!
It details the case of a transgender woman who now stands trial for murder, after being forced to defend herself from people who apparently were on a mission to kill her. THIS kind of crap must STOP!!
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DROP the charges against CeCe!
by CeCe McDonald Support Committee
posted Oct., 2011
Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald is a young African American transgender woman charged with two counts of “second degree murder” after an incident that began when she was violently attacked because of her gender and race.
CeCe is a creative and energetic person who, before her life was so unjustly interrupted, was studying fashion at MCTC [Minneapolis Community and Technical Colleg]. She had a stable home where she lived with and helped support four other African American youth, her family. CeCe’s family describes her as a leader, a role model, and a loyal friend. She is known as a wise, out-spoken, and welcoming person, with a cheerful disposition and a history of handling prejudice with amazing grace.
Around 12:30 am on June 5, CeCe and four of her friends (all of them black) were on their way to Cub Foods to get some food. As they walked past the Schooner Tavern in South Minneapolis, a man and two women (all of them white) began to yell epithets at them. They called CeCe and her friends ‘faggots,’ ‘niggers,’ and ‘chicks with dicks,’ and suggested that CeCe was ‘dressed as a woman’ in order to ‘rape’ Dean Schmitz, one of the attackers.
As they were shouting, one of the women smashed her drink into the side of CeCe’s face, slicing her cheek open, lacerating her salivary gland, and stinging her eyes with liquor. A fight ensued, with more people joining in. What happened during the fight is unclear, but within a few minutes Dean Schmitz had been fatally stabbed.
CeCe was later arrested, and is now falsely accused of murder.
For a month, CeCe was kept in solitary confinement “for her own protection”; she had no say in this matter. Finally, she was transferred to a psychiatric unit in the Public Safety Facility. It was nearly two months before she was taken back to a doctor to check up on the wound on her face, which by then had turned into a painful, golf ball-sized lump. CeCe has since been bailed out of jail on conditional release.
Later on, CeCe’s friends were harassed on the street by people they recognized from the scene of the fight. Individuals circled the block that CeCe’s friends were walking on and called them ‘niggers’ and ‘faggots’ and told them to ‘go back to Africa.’ When they attempted to wave down a passing squad car for assistance, the officer driving the car said he would not help them.
Help us fight for CeCe, and for an end to racist, transphobic violence in our communities! Visit our What You Can Do page and find out how to get involved.
And check back often, as this site is updated frequently.
Source:
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"abitchforjustice": So what makes this incident any less heinous than the Matthew Shepard killing, that it should not fall under jurisdiction of the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, or get the attention it deserves??
Is it because CeCe McDonald was only going to a "community college"? Is it because she was transgender? Maybe it's because she's African American...or because SHE DIDN'T ALLOW THEM TO KILL HER, BUT STOOD FIRM FOR HER OWN LIFE!
Personally I'm GLAD hers is not just one more name to be added to the list of the dead to be read at this year's TDOR!
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