trans woman shot and dragged to death in Arkansas, but no hate crime laws

Links234

http://unicornbooty.com/2011/03/trans-woman-shot-dragged-by-a-car-to-death/

25-year-old Marcal Camero Tye was found dead in Forrest City, Arkansas on Tuesday. While the autopsy results have yet to be released, it appears somewhat obviously that Tye was shot and then dragged down the street by a car until she died.

It is currently unknown if the murder was the result of a hate crime, not that it matters much – Arkansas is one of only four states in the country that refuse to put hate crime laws on the books, and joins Mississippi in being the only two states without a Civil Rights Commission as well.

Add insult to injury murder, police and local Arkansas news outlets continue to refer to Tye as a man, even though she identified as a transgendered woman. Police have also used the derogatory word “cross-dresser” and “man dressed as a woman” in lieu of the correct terminology. Come on now. It’s hardly difficult to treat this murder victim with the dignity she deserves after being robbed of her life.

this is extremely depressing

diddlybit

That's just horrible. I hope that they lock them up and throw the key away.

Confused though, the FBI have been invited in to investigate it as a possible hate crime? Would this make a difference to the outcome of a trial and the length of the sentence, or is it just the public acknowledgment that these animals did this because of who she was?

(Animals wouldn't even do that to one of their own.)

deirdre_dub

Whereas I share the outrage and disgust at what happened, and what is continuing to happen, to the victim in this case (and other similar cases), I would like to take a bit of time out to say that, thankfully, Ireland seems to be one of the better countries in the world for transgender people.

At the recent trans health seminar in Waterford, Vanessa Lacey told about how she has done some travelling throughout Europe, and has found the atmosphere in Ireland to be amongst the best. She specifically mentioned Sweden - a country long associated with liberalism - as a country where she felt less at ease than at home in Ireland.

For all of the (righteous) condemnation of the Irish Government for not having gender recognition legislation, the fact of the matter is that Ireland is amongst the easiest countries in the world for changing your legal identity. It is considerably easier than many of our European neighbours. Throughout much of Europe, you are required to get SRS before you can legally change your gender - hence the noises being made in Brussels about the forced sterilisation of transgender people.

I now have a female passport. All that I needed to change the "M" in my passport to "F" was a letter from Dr. O'Shea. I actually had more issues with the change of name on my passport than with the change of gender!!!

Yes there is a long way to go for trans rights, but please don't think that what happens even in the U.S. is representative of what you can expect in Ireland.

Azure_sky

The trans/gay panic defense may still be used (and abused in Ireland) and I know that it was used and very much abused as recently as a decade ago.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_panic_defense America is a hard one to analyse. In many ways it's like comparing the E.U. Different states have different laws and mentalities. Obviously Ireland is light years ahead of some red neck Republican state but we are behind some states which have positive discrimination laws for trans people, which is something Ireland definitely needs. I would actually put this as the most important trans rights issue in Ireland. Having full rights to further my career as a T.S. is more important to me than anything else right now. It might not be legal for someone to fire someone because they are TS but there's nothing stopping people from not hiring a TS, via covert discrimination.

Oh and Links I would advise you not to read too much of those articles. It can make a person very depressed and develope a mean world syndrome.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_World_Syndrome At the same time it's important to be aware of the dangers. I'm speaking from my own personal experience here.:)

L.Jenkins

diddlybit wrote: »

(Animals wouldn't even do that to one of their own.)

Trust me, animals would be treated far better in some cases. I'd hate to be transitioning in the US, even in the more liberal San Fran area, where us trans folk still make up a high percentage of the homeless living in the area.

Azure_sky

ItsThatManAgain wrote: »

Trust me, animals would be treated far better in some cases. I'd hate to be transitioning in the US, even in the more liberal San Fran area, where us trans folk still make up a high percentage of the homeless living in the area.

I wonder is that due to America's virtually non exist welfare system though? With no family support and means of income, health care or housing I can see how a disowned TS could end up on the streets. The more I learn about America the more I want to be a commie-just to piss them off.

L.Jenkins

I lived in the US for awhile, but I'm without knowledge of there support system to discuss it in any great detail. There health care in a large majority of cases is absolutely brutal. As for housing, I'm not even sure if it's existant at all.

Even in the more liberal, democratic states, discrimination would still be an issue. I wish I knew more about the current state of affairs over there, but I don't.

Azure_sky

ItsThatManAgain wrote: »

I lived in the US for awhile, but I'm without knowledge of there support system to discuss it in any great detail. There health care in a large majority of cases is absolutely brutal. As for housing, I'm not even sure if it's existant at all.

Even in the more liberal, democratic states, discrimination would still be an issue. I wish I knew more about the current state of affairs over there, but I don't.

From speaking to my leftist online friends in the US, most of whom are not trans, the right wingers are giving hell about Obama's health care system. I don't think they have anything like council houses or rent allowance either. Just forty dollars of welfare a week and a few food stamps for a few months. Once that runs out they leave their people to starve to death.
They don't want anything like training for welfare, ala FAS, as that would be too "socialist" for them.
They literally make Fine Gael and Fianna Fail look like pinko, hippy, gawdless commies in comparison.

I honestly can't understand them, especially as these people are usually Christians, yet they seem to like social Darwin economics....yeah go figure.

America is an incredibly backwards country today. Reagan set it back much like his buddy Thatcher did in Britain around the same time.

L.Jenkins

You summed up quite what I thought of the US and there politics. Thats why I'd only ever go on a holiday to the place. At that, I'd probably still have issues during transition.

Azure_sky

ItsThatManAgain wrote: »

You summed up quite what I thought of the US and there politics. Thats why I'd only ever go on a holiday to the place. At that, I'd probably still have issues during transition.

I wouldn't even go there for a holiday. I'd rather go on holiday to Canada, and give their tourism trade a boost, as they have a much more similar mentality to us in terms of society and economics.
It's a beautiful country too.

L.Jenkins

Hmmm, Canada, definately! There far more liberal, especially when it comes to trans issues.

Meesared

Ahh canada i would love to go there!