Duanna Johnson, transgendered woman shot dead in Memphis Another transgendered Memphian is dead: Identified initially as Dwayne Johnson, Duanna Johnson is the very same woman who was savagely beaten down in a Memphis jail by two cops. Johnson was initially picked up for prostitution back in February. When the Chicago native didn't respond to a nasty name regarding her sexual preference and gender identity while in the intake area, a cop used his handcuffs as brass knuckles and punched her repeatedly in the face. Fortunately, the beat-down was caught on tape and Johnson sued the city for $3.1 million. Unfortunately, she never saw a penny. Someone shot her to death on Sunday. PITW would like to believe Memphis police would pursue her killer(s) as they would any others, but that may be naive. And let us not forget a death of our own in January 2007—Nakia Baker. Baker was a transgendered woman from Murfreesboro found dead from some unknown trauma to the back of her head behind Club Adventura and Billiards on Nolensville Road. According to Metro Nashville Police, the case is still open, though initially there were few witnesses and even fewer leads. When the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act passed through Congress in 2007, President George W. Bush vetoed the bill. President-Elect Barack Obama has pledged to support the bill. The transgender community, however, would still be left in the cold should it pass. The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition is pushing a Hate Crimes Enhancement bill that would add gender identity and expression to the definition. We remain cautiously optimistic about what effect, if any, hate crime legislation would have on the actual act itself, but if something like this could pass in Tennessee, well, who knows? For more information, or to make a donation, hit the "post continues" link.
