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Reflections on 10th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance
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Every death hits me hard. For any transperson, I think there is always a feeling of “there but for the grace of G-d/dess go I". I transitioned and did over a year long full time real life test in a rural southern town in 1993. No HRT, nada. If angels exist, there was certainly one at my shoulder, for I passed perfectly… as a man with long hair and a baritone voice wearing women’s clothing and jewelry. For the most part, people treated me with respect and used my new name and pronouns however I had a few close encounters during that time in which my possible last moments in this earthly plane were staring at me rather harshly.

As I’ve written previously, I later re-transitioned, and since that time have lived in between or outside binary gender. I don’t live in the same small town, but am still in a rural area. Some people might look at me and automatically perceive male simply based on birth sex characteristics, however if one is observant to subtle cues, they’re fairly likely to perceive something very different. I’m often mam’ed. But if I speak, I see the looks of confusion, and then the quick switch to sir. They’re obviously wondering what I am. Male? Female? Maybe genderqueer? Gay? Transgender? It is an extremely vulnerable place to live, and yet I must be true to myself.MORE

No Bail for Syracuse Murder Suspect, Victim Identified as Trans

New developments in the horrific weekend shooting in Syracuse. First, friends and family now identify the victim as transgender and say Latiesha Green was in the process of transitioning. Police and media outlets originally identified the victim by her birth name, Moses Cannon, as did this blog. Our apologies. Meanwhile, a judge denies bail for the Syracuse man accused of the bloody crime. Twenty-year-old Dwight R. Lee was arraigned on a single count of second-degree murder after police say Lateisha was sitting in a car with her 18-year-old brother Mark, who is gay, "when DeLee walked up, pointed a loaded .22 caliber rifle at [her] and shot [her] once in the chest."
Authorities say DeLee has "a history of weapons and drug charges" and the shooting was the result of DeLee’s extreme dislike for LGBT people. The Onondaga County District Attorney’s office says the hate crime charge "may be difficult to prove." If a hate crime charge is added to the second degree murder charge, if convicted, DeLee would receive a longer prison sentence.MORE

Today Is The Annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance

Was she killed because she was gender variant in appearance? -- was it that Latiesha Green was a trans woman killed because she was perceived to be gay by her killer, ? From the articles, that's what appears to have happened:

Dwight R. DeLee shot and killed [Lateisha Green] with a .22-caliber rifle Friday night because he didn't like that Cannon was openly gay, Syracuse police said.

Thinking from a Matthew Shepard Act point of view, it's important to point out Teich was trans, and to point out she was perceived to be gay. If we leave either sexual orientation or gender identity and expression out of the Matthew Shepard Act...well, one of the lessons of Teish's death is that being trans or gay isn't always distinguishable in the perceptions of those who would harm us. To some people, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression are functionally the same thing.

I guess changing the focus a little, do I need to mention Teish was a double minority? Of the thirty names to be remembered this year, listkeeper Ethan St. Pierre tells me that three of the names are for caucasian victims, and the other 27 are of those who would be members of ethnic minorities. I'm not 100% sure his ethnic breakdown is 100% accurate, but it is clear that we most of the 30 names will be reading tonight will belong to non-whites. MORE