Black Transgender Woman Found Murdered in Memphis
Being black and transgender in Memphis can be hazardous to your health. About two weeks after a Memphis police officers were caught on videotape beating a handcuffed, black transgender woman in police custody, the body of another black transwoman was discovered, the victim of an apparent homicide.
WREG-TV in Memphis reports (and YouTube) the naked body of 20-year-old Rodney Whitaker was found "just steps away from a daycare, an abandoned apartment complex and a strip club. An employee at the daycare center discovered the body at around 7 a.m. ... One man said he heard a gunshot early in the morning." Reports say the woman was found lying in the grass with a gunshot wound, hence the screen capture above. The abandoned apartment building is described as and this is the second murder there in a year.
To add insult to the fatal injuries, the competing ABC 24 headlines their coverage as "Man Dressed As a Woman Found Near Daycare." Monica Roberts, the black trans activist who is quickly becoming one of our daily must-reads, takes the station to task: Since some media peeps refuse to crack open the AP Stylebook and read the rules for reporting on transpeople, "I guess I'll have to do it my damned self in order to honor the memory of my fallen transsistah."
Will the Memphis Police Department and Shelby County prosecutors fully investigate Whitaker's death? A newly released surveillance tape shows on February 12, 2008 at least two Memphis police officers brutally assaulted Duanna Johnson while she was being held in the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center. Johnson, a transgender woman had been arrested on a charge of prostitution. Johnson has been since released and announced intentions to sue the city. Neither the city of Memphis nor the state of Tennessee offer discrimination or hate crimes protections for gay, lesbian or transgender persons.
Transgender woman murdered in Memphis [OutAbout]
Video: Transgender Woman Murdered [WREG YouTube]
Another T-Sistah Found Dead [TransGriot]
And some gay guys wonder why transfolk (that includes drag queens to me) are so defensive. It's a harsh life. Their only protection is each other, and sometimes a straight razor.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | 03 July 2008 at 14:59
Goodness ... that is down right scary. I saw that video of the beating somewhere else and that was just terrible. I don't know what is wrong with people these days.
Posted by: Me | 03 July 2008 at 15:36
Transgender women are almost the most vulnerable members of our community. They are often targeted for violence and the police routinely turn a blind eye. Sad, but hopefully progress is being made. The news report does a good job, they interview gay rights and hate crimes experts.
Posted by: ATL KID | 03 July 2008 at 16:30
Wow, Rodney Whitaker was beautiful. See, I think the LGBT community need to take a stronger approach on educating the public. Physically, Whitaker had male body parts. However, mentally/genetically Whitaker was a female. The Oprah Winfrey show once had transgendered people on the stage as young as 5-years-old who shared their experiences as to being born in the wrong body. So, Whitaker was simply killed for a transgendered person. It's some really sick people in this evil world.
Posted by: Mel Smith | 03 July 2008 at 17:45
I just realized Whitaker was only 20-years-old. That makes me more sad to find out how young she was.
Posted by: Mel Smith | 03 July 2008 at 17:53
Needless to say, this is not acceptable. But what exactly could we possibly do to help trangendered people and lessen violent behavior like this??
Posted by: Disturbed | 03 July 2008 at 20:30
Sad story. Rodney was very, very beautiful.
Posted by: Dex123ter | 03 July 2008 at 21:41
Disturbed, I think the media can help us out greatly. Ex: The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tara Banks Show, Dateline NBC, etc. More media exposure highlighting ALL transgendered people, regardless of their age. Other television channels could also help and destroy these myths.
Posted by: Mel Smith | 03 July 2008 at 22:32
Mel: I totally understand what you're saying about the media being helpful, but it just all still seems so disheartening. Gays barely get any respect from the majority of society; I can't even begin to imagine what transgendered men and women go through on a daily basis.
Posted by: Disturbed | 03 July 2008 at 23:35
Disturbed, we are talking about it now. That is called raising awareness. People are having a conversation, pressing for hate crimes laws, the media is putting the Memphis PD under a spotlight. Progress just comes very slowly. It's more disheartening to sit back and do nothing.
Just reading this post we also discovered the black transgender blogger that Rod linked to, Monica Roberts. She has emails, phone numbers and addresses if you want to do more. Oh, and big ups to Rod 2.0 or including stories on our transgender brothers and sistahs.
Posted by: Roberto S | 04 July 2008 at 01:55
Roberto S.: "Progress just comes very slowly. It's more disheartening to sit back and do nothing."
I believe that these are the sentences that I need to remember. I apologize for being a downer; I'm just so used to seeing injustice and inequality in so many forms in my own community. I would like to get involved...
Posted by: Disturbed | 04 July 2008 at 15:42