Trans murders in the last year

[kengr]

http://community.livejournal.com/genderqueer/771512.html

Comments

[johnnyboysriot.livejournal.com]

Oh God ... dear God.

The last one, shit, I almost vomited my heart right out my throat. Sadness ... my God.

[kengr]

It didn't get me as bad. Mostly because I had the "luck" to see it when it was first posted shortly after it happened. It may even have made the national news.

Doesn't mean it's not bad.

This sort of thing is why I think that it may be more important to break the link between "physical sex" and "gender role" than to make other "trans friendly" social changes.

The gender binary may cause problems, but being able to pick (or get away with) either role regardless of your actual "sex" would eliminate many of the worst problems.

At the very least it'd limit the violence to the folks who don't pass well or are obviously doing genderfuck. That soprt of violence ain't right either. But it somehow seems like it might be an "easier" social change.

Not that it's an easy or even likely one. :-(

[kengr]

Oh, I won't comment on what I'd like to do to the bastard that did it to the kid (or most of those others)

[johnnyboysriot.livejournal.com]

I know this is a controversal topic, but what are your thoughts on imprisonment and the death penalty - for people who commit such crimes as stated above? I ask you because I know you are mature and well articulated. You claim your own voice and individuality - and I respect you for this.

I don't support the death penalty but I am full fledge force supportive of imprisonment, especially in situtations like above.

[kengr]

The main problem with the death penalty is that if you goof, you can't take it back.

Then again, imprisonment can't actually be taken back, but at least you are alive.

On the other hand imprisonment has it's own issues. And when you get right down to it, the odds are that unless they keep that guy in isolation the whole time he's in prison, he's likely to be killed anyway. By the other prisoners. (I've known ex-cons, they've got standards. That guys counts as scum by *their* standards, just like child molesters)

Imprisonment doesn't really *solve* the problem. It just postpones it. And it's actually a very recent practice.

I'd feel a lot better about imprisonment if the prisons didn't actually *encourage* a lot of criminal behavior. And they are the worst for the people who might actually have the best chance of being rehabilitated if we actually *tried* that anymore.

As it is, assaults, rape & extortion (ie "protection racket" type stuff) are "normal" in prisons. And most of the guards not only don't care, they *use* these things to keep "troublemakers" in line.

I love how the courts decided that 24/7 video surveillance violates prisoner's rights, but don't consider the assaults, rapes & murders that it'd prevent to be worthy of consideration.

[johnnyboysriot.livejournal.com]

I am currently reading a non fiction book about prison (juevinelle) and it's gotten me very intereted to know more about state/adult facilities. You bring up some good points, espeically about how guards feel and treat prisoners/and are suppossed to feel/treat prisnors for authority purposes.

Prison is one of my biggest fears. I have trauma from police which has formed into phobia of prison. Learning about prison has been a way of facing my fears, even though in reality - prisons will always be here. I can do everything I can to remain OUT of one.

Going for the long shot since I don't know you quite well: Do you do public speaking? If not, have you considered it? I feel your voice and ideas are strong, and need to be heard. For whatever it's worth, these are the kind of voices that create change.

[kengr]

Going for the long shot since I don't know you quite well: Do you do public speaking? If not, have you considered it? I feel your voice and ideas are strong, and need to be heard. For whatever it's worth, these are the kind of voices that create change.

I am *terrible* at public speaking. And "arguing" things with people is even worse.

I might make an ok essayist, if such were still popular.

But between my abuse issues, PTSD from that and othyer things and my social anxiety/social phobia, public speaking is a *definite* no.

Especially with regards to anything emotionally charged.

I can be rendered mute for all practical purposes in such situations. Old "conditioning". :-(

[johnnyboysriot.livejournal.com]

This issues you speak of are some of the areas that interest me in psychology. So I study, learn and can understand from personal experience (about the social anxiety - I have actually recovered pretty well from it on my own but it used to be severe). Getting your voice out in essay format can be just as powerful. Without words there would be no vocal-speech, you know? Keep writing out your thoughts, feeling, views, values, and opinions - you never know who they might help, including you.

Big hugs with glitter on top and everything special.

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see executions for these kind of crimes. Not so much as a punishment or a deterrent, but to protect the public. Rabid dogs are destroyed not out of hatred or anger, to to punish or deter other rabid dogs, but to protect everyone else from injury and death. That said, I'd prefer the death penalty only be applied in those cases where there is no doubt as to guilt.

[kengr]

That said, I'd prefer the death penalty only be applied in those cases where there is no doubt as to guilt.

Alas, DNA evidence is showing that a lot of "there is no doubt" cases convicted the wrong person.

I rather wonder what would turn up if we were re-examining evidence in cases where the defendant had been executed the way we are examining it in cases where the defendant is still around to protest his innocence.

Of course, the DAs and the states & feds have good reason to *not* want this done.

Eventually, we are going to have to do something to break the exalted status of "eyewitness testimony" in the eyes of the public. DNA is showing all too clearly what psychologists have been saying for decades. It's barely reliable at the best of times.

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there is doubt in most cases. And frankly, I don't really trust law enforcement agencies to do whatever it takes to get a conviction. If a person comes to the attention of the police all to often the police stop looking for anything else but ways to convict their suspect regardless of contrary evidence. That said, there are some cases that there is little doubt. I'm reminded of (though I can't find on the net, was in 2000 or 2001 in South Carolina) a man who admitted to murdering his one year old child on its birthday as revenge for his wife flirting with another man before they were married. He said he was teaching her a lesson.