Archive for the ‘Memphis’ Category
Fifth trans woman shot in Memphis since 2006
News reports are coming in of the shooting last Wednesday (May 27, 2009) of a trans woman, Kelvin Denton, in Memphis. She was shot twice (in the neck and face) by her attacker, Terron Taylor, after Mr Taylor decided that he did not approve of Ms Denton’s genital topography.
At the time of writing, Ms Denton is in critical condition in hospital while Mr Taylor, who was arrested Friday, is being held on a $500,000 bond on two charges: attempted second degree murder and using a firearm to commit a felony.
Mr Taylor told police he carried out the attack because he felt he had been “misled” about Ms Denton’s gender – surely a clear indication that that Mr Taylor will be trying to use the trans panic defense to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. However, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition have urged Shelby County authorities to “prosecute Taylor aggressively and not permit the use of the trans-panic defense”.
I’ve found sketchy reports of the shooting in The Memphis Flyer, My Eye Witness News, Memphis Commercial Appeal and My Fox Memphis – but one thing they all have in common is the persistent misgendering of the victim.
This is the fifth violent attack on trans women in Memphis since 2006; previous victims include Leeneshia Edwards (December 2008), Duanna Johnson (November 2008), Ebony Whitaker (July 2008), Tiffany Berry (February 2006).
It seems the global war against trans women continues with undiminished ferocity.
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ETA, June 6: I’ve read posts elsewhere in the blogosphere which query whether Ms Denton is a trans woman at all – nobody seems to have come up with any alternative suggestions and I feel I should point out the sources that make me think Ms Denton is indeed trans.
For starters, the Memphis Flyer specifically describes her as “a transgender woman”.
At the same time, all the news reports I linked wheel out the tired old trope about Mr Taylor having been “mislead”. My Fox Memphis also uses the classic cis apologist line about Ms Denton “misrepresenting herself as a woman”. History has shown us numerous times – most recently in the Angie Zapata murder trial – that this is the backbone of the infamous trans panic argument so beloved by defense lawyers, and I believe I’ve only ever seen it used in connection with trans women.
So yeah. My reading of it all is that Ms Denton is a trans woman and I can’t help thinking that we might be a lot clearer on the details if the media could only have resisted the urge to obfuscate through misgendering.
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Note: There are two useful pieces discussing the trans panic defense in more depth:
- This link via Holly in comments at Feministe and,
- This link (Banning the trans panic defense) by Dr Jillian T. Weiss at The Bilerico Project
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Cross-posted at Bird of Paradox
A call for action on trans rights in Tennessee
Queen Emily: From the comments in the previous thread, a press release from the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition:
For Immediate Release: Dated December 27, 2008
Another Transgender Woman Shot in Memphis
On Christmas Eve, a Memphis television station reported the shooting of Leeneshia Edwards in Memphis. She becomes the third transgender woman shot in Memphis in just six months. At last report, Leeneshia is in critical condition. We extend our hopes and prayers to Leenashia for a speedy recovery.
We also ask for anyone with any information about this latest crime to call Memphis Crimes Stoppers at (901)528-CASH.
The shooting of Leeneshia Edwards helps shed light on a disturbing trend in Memphis. Transgender women who work in the sex industry in order to survive are now being targeted by a pervasive culture of violence.
The indifferent attitude of law enforcement towards the February 16, 2006, murder of Tiffany Berry, and the February 12, 2008, beating of Duanna Johnson by Memphis Police Department officers, has sent a message that the lives of transgender people are not important. This has fed the culture of violence that has permeated the second half of 2008, and is exemplified by the July 1 murder of Ebony Whitaker, the July 28 murder of Dre-Ona Blake, a two year old girl who was killed by the man who had previously been charged with the murder of Tiffany Berry, but was allowed to walk free for two and a half years, the November 9 murder of Duanna Johnson, and now the shooting of Leeneshia Edwards.
This open season on transgender people in Memphis and elsewhere, regardless of whether or not they engage in sex work, must come to an end right now.
We call on business people who refuse to hire transgender people to open their doors immediately to transgender workers so there are alternatives to working on the streets.
We call on shelters that routinely turn away transgender people who are seeking help, to open their doors so that transgender people do not have to live on the streets.
We call on religious leaders who preach intolerance towards crossdressers and transsexuals from the pulpit to cease immediately and begin preaching messages of love and acceptance of diversity.
We call on political leaders of all parties to stop campaigning against transgender people and start supporting fully inclusive employment non-discrimination and hate crimes legislation to show that the lives of transgender people have value.
Marisa Richmond
President
The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) is an organization designed to educate and advocate on behalf of transgender related legislation at the Federal, State and local levels. TTPC is dedicated to raising public awareness and building alliances with other organizations concerned with equal rights legislation.
For more information, or to make a donation, contact:
Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC)
P.O. Box 92335
Nashville, TN 37209
http://ttgpac.com
TTGPAC@aol.com
(615)293-6199
(615)353-1834 fax