I absolutely hate having to pass on these stories. I hate reading about them. I hate the knowledge they happen far more often now than they did in the 1960s/70s. I hate the fact that most often the victim is not only transsexual/transgender but a person of color and a sex worker.
The right wing religious war against women affect the most vulnerable more than the privileged. Among the least privileged of all people in America are poor African American trans-women.
We have created an Apartheid state with the rise of KKKonservatism and the simpering ultra right wing corporate fascist Republicans who have been selected by the rich to rule over us.
They scapegoat people to distract us from the real problems. They use racism. They may not be as crude about it as the sheet wearing crackers screaming the “N-word” but the code words they use mean the same to their followers.
Loving consensual sex has been censored from movies and TV. We no longer have quiet family dramas where real issues are explored the way they were with the Cosby Show, Maude, All In the Family, The Jeffersons etc, etc. Instead our movies and television shows are awash with blood and violence porn, CGI decapitations and maimings pumped up gender stereotypes and glorification of fictional ultra masculinity. Thoughtful movies and television shows with real thinking gentlemen and gentlewomen are considered non commercial and called “chick flicks”.
We tell men that if they are not stupid and violent then they aren’t really men.
At the same time we have devastated the working class communities, most particularly the working class communities comprised of people of color. As early as the Nixon Years the CIA started flooding those communities with hard drugs like heroin and cocaine so they could both use the money to fund secret dirty wars and destroy those communities comprised of people of color.
The results have been devastating. The results have been the Crips, the Bloods, Mexican Mafia, the Maras, MS13 and hundreds of other gangs built on hopelessness and policies that have created a prison industrial state.
Add to this right wing homophobic religion, black and white, that has made homophobia into a central doctrine along with misogyny. One of the most absurd arguments I have ever heard regarding anti-bulling and anti-hate crimes measures is that they discriminate against religion. I’m a non-believer yet when I hear this sort of bullshit I actually want to shove a Bible in to their hands and demand they show me where Jesus told people they should hate the poor, enslave people, do violence against women or harm LGBT/T people.
You see I actually read the freaking Bible back when I was becoming an Atheist. Some of the stories really sing but the mythology gets put to perverted purposes whether supporting slavery, genocide or bigotry and oppression.
On top of this comes Rap music degrading women as bitches and ‘hos. This sort of Grand Theft Auto view of the world encourages violence against women. The glorified ultra masculinity creates a distopian vision where the world of prison relationships where the strong rape the weak extends beyond the prison.
Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, the video game that encourages violence against sex workers. A fucking video game that encourages the players to used a prostitute, rob her of her hard earned money then murder and mutilate her and this isn’t considered pornography. Andrea Dworkin probably died of heart break.
Another African American Trans-woman Murdered. Another name to be remembered. No ambiguity of words like asphyxiation. Brutally shot in the head and dragged.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
The the story with the oh so predictable abusive use of male names and pronouns, raping her bleeding corpse, stripping her of the last shred of dignity she tried to have in life where she was given only scraps of decency and zero opportunity.
Fuck!
From WREG, Memphis: http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-marcal-murder,0,7869905.story
Go read the story there. I don’t want to pollute my blog with the abuse of pronouns and the abuse of the memory of this poor kid.
Women Born Transsexual 
March 9, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Suzan, That children are brought up with sophisticated “games” that encourage and reward violence and murder against human beings should be our gravest concern. Beyond words at the moment about this.
March 9, 2011 at 2:25 pm
About the scariest part of the story was the language in the report… I think the people in the newspaper account learned English from watching Dukes of Hazard reruns.
She is referred to as
1) a “transgender Woman”
2) known in this area as a “cross dresser.”
3) someone who did not “hide the fact he was a transgender woman.”
And then the explanation that “he” was probably solicited for sex by someone who didn’t realize “he was a Dude” — In most murder stories, you say what the occupation of the victim was, but apparently “transgender” in Arkansas is a synonym for street-walker. Bad, confusing journalism, unfortunately typical in the hinterland. Apparently this person did not have family. We didn’t hear from neighbors and the closing explanation of what the police were doing seemed aimed at 12 year-olds who have never watched television.
March 9, 2011 at 2:53 pm
I have been at computer shows where Grand Theft Auto is usually the main attraction.
It normally attracts more of a crowd than other games and the laughter everytime someone is run over should make anyone stop and think.
Consumers are voting with their wallets and purses for GTA. I have noticed it has a very large female fan base as well. That suprised me at first.
If you listen to the people playing it, the most common joke is about using GTA to learn to drive. I heard that one mostly from the girls and women playing it.
March 9, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Regarding the story.
It is obvious the people who covered the story just saw her as some bit of trash to report on and forget.
It is good to see commentors taking the article writers to task on that. Makes a refreshing change.
The thing is, I also believe this is becoming more common.
March 9, 2011 at 5:38 pm
I was told some years ago, murders in the ghetto — often between rival gang people, or brutal murders of sex workers — both minority and trans — were termed (by the police) as being “NHI” — no human involvement.
Many folks are still seen that way — by not only “The Authorities”, but also by various gay guys, lesbians, various, “I’m better (realer) than you” trans folks, and some VERY “religious christians”.
Unless this changes — our society will be lost.
There already are folks saying “Welcome to the NEW ‘Dark Ages’.”.
This is like a movie dystopia — but, we are LIVING IT.