Monday, January 5, 2009
Crazy Crap Another Attack on a Transgendered Woman in Memphis
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Apparently Memphis is the most dangerous place to be transgendered, as shown by the recent spate of murders and beatings. At 5 a.m. on Dec. 23, Leeneshia Edwards was turning to get out of her car on Boxtown Road near T.O. Fuller State Park in South Memphis when an assailant shot her in the jaw, side and back. According to The Med, a teaching hospital in Memphis, Edwards has been discharged.
The attempted murder of Edwards is eerily similar in profile to that of Duanna Johnson, another transgendered woman shot to death in Memphis over a month ago after being savagely beaten by police in a Memphis jail. Both worked the Memphis streets as prostitutes and both are thought to be the victims of hate crimes, according to the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, an advocacy group pushing hate crime legislation that would include the transgendered population.
Comments (24)
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These articles always confuse the crap out of me. I never know whether she is a she or a he or a once he now she or once she now he.
???
For accuracy the press should use biological gender when using the terms: she, he, her, him, woman, man etc...
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...but to the referenced transgendered individual, that may not be accurate. If she identifies as a she, the press should refer to her as a she.
Tobin:
AP style when referring to transgendered people is to use the pronoun preferred by the person you're writing about. If they don't have a preference you are to use pronouns that align with how the subject presents him/herself. Therefore a biological male who presents as a female is referred to as "she" or "her."
Why are facts set aside for someone's personal preference?
Science should trump identity.
Because the "facts" are even less clear cut than a person's personal preference?
Is a person who is born with female genitalia but with XY chromosomes a man or a woman? Or what about a person born with XXY or XYY or with ambiguous genitalia? Just what exactly are the "facts" about gender in those cases?
It's easier to just call someone what they want to be called, but more than that, it's just more polite. The Scene should be rude because you're not willing to read carefully and you're too ignorant to see that you're publicly embarrassing yourself?
That makes no sense.
If it was really that confusing, I'll break it down: Leeneshia was transgendered. She identified herself as a woman. You can't transgender-ize (yeah, I made that up) yourself into the same sex. That leads me to deduce that she was, in fact, a biological male. But she wanted to be a woman, so that's how I'll address her.
Sorry, for got to mention this in my prior comment. Hargrove, it's generally referred too as "transitioning"
How about reference here to "it?" How could that offend anyone? As though that makes any damn difference.
I used to haul "Juicy Lucy" in my taxicab. Juicy cross-dressed. Juicy didn't give a shit what name 'it' got called as long as the burgers and fries were fresh and hot, and the panty hose got cooled off before the food arrived.
Juicy always tipped good too.
I've always thought photos of missing transgendered people should be on cartons of half-and-half.
Is a person who is born with female genitalia but with XY chromosomes a man or a woman? Or what about a person born with XXY or XYY or with ambiguous genitalia? Just what exactly are the "facts" about gender in those cases?
What terms do scientists & doctors use in these instances? Those are the terms that should be used.
But she wanted to be a woman, so that's how I'll address her.
No. You should identify something for what it is. Truth is more important than self-identification.
Reading these comments shows a large part of what the problem is and why there is such a need for hate crimes legislation in TN (and everywhere else) that includes transgendered/transsexual folks. These people are thought of in society as disposable, as less than human, as "its" and it's disgusting and reprehensible that crimes against transgendered people are not taken more seriously and violence against them gets justified with comments about how they shouldn't "trick" people into thinking they are something they're not, etc. I know to someone who has never questioned whether or not they were born the "correct" gender that the idea of a sex change is pretty tough to imagine but having known several people who have been through it I can tell you that just getting out of bed every day and facing the world as who you really are is more of a challenge than most of us will ever know - we should be thankful that we don't know that pain and show compassion for those dealing with this legitimate medical condition and not ridicule them or say they deserve it when someone beats/shoots/stabs/kills them.
I have no hatred for those who are Transgendered. I wish no harm upon them. I don't care how you identify them, or I identify them or how they identify themselves.
What I do care about is the press/media using accurate terminology when reporting. Report the facts as they are, not as they are interpreted or identified by someone else. Base your reporting on science and fact, not dogma or politics.
TobintheGnome: The press *is* using accurate terminology. Look at the AP stylebook regarding it (hint: it's quoted above). There are any number of reasons to do so, but it boils down to decency. I live my life as a woman, have for 2+ years. Why should I have to put up with you calling me by masculine pronouns? All it does is to separate me further from the rest of Nashville, set me out as separate and alone.
It would risk my life. Pure and simple.
You don't have to like me, or agree with my definitions.. but realize that sex, gender, and biology are far more complex than the simple binary. I do have a couple questions for you though.
What is gained by referring to someone as their birth gender, rather than as the gender they lived their life? ("Accuracy" and "Truth" don't count, because you also are over simplifying and loosing a whole layer of accuracy and truth)
How long does one have to live as a specific gender before they deserve to be referred to with that set of pronouns? (say ... a 60 year old who transitioned and had SRS while they were 18? )
My previous comment didn't seem to go through so hopefully it won't now appear leaving two comments that say the same thing, but here it goes:
TobintheGnome,
You say "truth is more important than self-identification," but what you're failing to recognize referring to a transgendered individual on the basis of their genitals alone is no more true than any other measure you may employ (in fact it is less true).
It strikes me as strange that when transgendered people are the topic of conversation people demand that their genitals (or even their birth genitals which may or may not be reflective of their current anatomy) be the standard for determining gender, yet it's not a standard that we apply to anyone else. Think about it. Have you seen your boss's genitals? My guess is not, but I'd bet you still refer to them in gender specific terms. That's because without thinking about it, you already recognize that gender is more complex than anatomy.
Tobin, I have to agree with the majority here. I know that you have no hatred for transgendered people, but you still seem to have a somewhat backward concept of sexual identity. It's a complex matter, and hardly reducible to just genitalia. All people have male and female characteristics in differing amounts--even you, as much as it might repulse you.
As far as genitalia determining "factual" identity, I think you have a slightly warped perception there. Some people feel they are a woman trapped in a man's body. (Me, I feel like a much stronger man trapped in a weaker man's body.)
But your stance is not far from saying a gay man has male genitalia, so biologically he is suited to have sex with women. Thus no matter what he believes or feels inside, that should "factually" be his role, determined by anatomy.
Oh, and one more thing Tobin: How you were confused by this article is beyond me. It was pretty clear to everyone else who read it, including me.
Maybe they should stop going around in the worst parts of town selling themselves. You cant get killed for being a transgender if you arent hanging out in the street in the middle of the night trying to sell some unknowing guy a blowjob whom he thinks he is getting it from a girl only to realize she/he has a bigger penis than he does. STAY HOME!!!
There is a certain, troubling logic to your argument, JEremey, but part of the problem is that employers won't hire transgendered people, forcing them to take up this dangerous line of work. When these women were killed, it was unclear that they were even working. In Ms. Edward's case, she was getting out of her car.
Well I know the world isn't perfect and people are discriminated against but that doesnt mean you have to prostitute yourself out...both were killed in high crime areas known for prostitution in the middle of the night, what else are you doing from 2-5 in the morning in the worst part of the city? I agree some people would not hire you in these cases, especially with Duanna, that dude was at least 6'9 with an adams apple bigger than a real apple with a weave and huge tits and always in a short skirt and high heels that exposed her size 13 feet. If you are transgendered or gay or straight, you will need to present yourself to be someone who someone would want to hire and not be so flamboyant about trying to be somehthing you clearly are not.
Why is it always the victim that is to blame for being in the "wrong part of town" late at night? Are there certain instances and areas where it's acceptable to shoot people as they exit their car? The truth is no matter where you are or what you are doing, you have the possibility of being targeted by crime or being hurt as an innocent bystander. It's not more or less tragic if someone is shot in Belle Meade or East Nashville - yet see which ones get more attention in the media and which victims "should have known better".
Transgendered people have frequently been the target of ridicule and discrimination from very early on in life. This is a generalization of course and not always the case, but when you're kicked out of your home for wearing a dress at 15, 16, 17, etc. and considered unhirable as a 6.4" woman with a deep voice and large feet - it's not a stretch to see why you find large populations of trans people living in areas not known for safety and working not the most safe or legal jobs.
Why not place blame on the people committing these acts of violence rather than the victims just because they happen to make you uncomfortable or you don't agree with how they live their lives?
One thing that hasn't been addressed here is that gender is a social construct while sex is a biological fact. Given the flexibility of gender, it behooves journalists to stick to a hard and fast set of rules regarding these references. That is why we always refer the AP's style guidelines on matters of trans-people.
I see your point and I agree, they should be able to go whereever they want in town and not be shot, robbed or whatever. But simple reasoning tells me if I stand in the middle of the freeway most likely I will get hit by a car hence I wont stand in the middle of the freeway so that can be applied to this situation as well, yes you can be shot anywhere anytime but you are say 50 times more likely to get shot in the middle of the ghetto in the middle of the night than you are if you arent in that situation, therefore dont put yourself in that situation. It wasnt her fault she got shot, but she elevated her risks tenfold by being where she was when she was. I mean, why dont you go try crossing the street without looking both ways, the odds are against you if you keep putting yourself in bad situations.
"That leads me to deduce that she was, in fact, a biological male. "
And that's not the scientific truth. Transsexual women are born female. It's part of nature that sometimes girls are born with penis and gonads. Only cultures who ignore scientific truth lie about transsexual people.
