Virginia is one of those states that offers no protections for trans people. This weekend, a trans woman was bashed in a parking lot. What an unbelievable coincidence.
According to Fredericksburg police, a 32-year-old woman was beaten by a mob as she walked through a 7-11 parking lot. As if that wasn’t bad enough, one of the assailants used a broken-off metal broom handle. Jesus.
If there’s any silver lining to this, it’s that people came to the woman’s aid, and news coverage has actually been quite sensitive and even uses the right pronouns. Expect a ignorant backlash any moment now.
Virginia continues to putter along with no hate crime law, and no protection for housing and employment. In fact, the state’s Board of Social Services just voted to strip away protections for LGBT adoptive parents.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Virginia is for lovers indeed.
Scott Rose
The need for federal protections for LGBTers throughout the land could not be more obvious.
dvlaries
You’re not surprised if you’re unfortunate enough to live here. We’re the state that gave the world George ‘Macaca’ Allen, and in 1994, came within 3 percentage points of putting Oliver North in the Senate.
When I croak, I don’t even want my ashes left in this toilet of a state.
missanthrope
@Scott Rose:
We have a federal hate crimes law. The question is whether the feds will investigate and prosecute if local authorities fail to do so.
TMikel
I weep with shame for my state. We are better than this, believe me, and better than our politicians. My apologies.
GayGOP
@TMikel: I second everything you say. I am ashamed of my state.
Kev C
Flash mob beatings or anonymous mob assaults are becoming more common in the south and midwest. Witnesses said they were smiling and having fun. It’s a black thing, someone probably filmed it on their cell phone to upload it to Youtube, Facebook or Worldstarhiphop.
matt baume
@Kev C: Please clarify “it’s a black thing.”
Kev C
@matt baume: Something black people do = black thing.
missanthrope
@Kev C:
Racist comment is racist.
matt baume
@Kev C: Funny, they don’t look black: http://www.queerty.com/three-minnesota-men-bravely-bash-local-homo-20110524/
Kev C
Flash mobbing for the explicit and documented purpose of assault is a black social phenomena. Based on the evidence, it’s almost exclusively a black thing. Even the New York Times noted this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/us/25mobs.html
I expect we’ll see more such black flash mob assaults as the summer progresses.
matt baume
@Kev C: This is one article about one phenomenon in one city that happens to be 44% black. Can you find any other examples?
I seem to recall hearing that black people have, at times, been the victims of violent mobs.
Kev C
@matt baume: Last year, black anons in the Bay area used social media to target asians for flash mob violence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLm56EBIzjY
Shannon1981
Everything below the Mason Dixon line, for the most part, is a shithole. I live here. I know. The feds need to step in. Clearly a hate crime. How convenient that the state is doing nothing.
AAA
@Scott Rose:
You mean laws that make you special right? So that way every time anything happens to someone from the LGBT community you can yell hate crime, even before having all the facts? Or are LGBT perfect who never do anything wrong?
If you read the linked article, there was an earlier argument about a dog. Also it was the victim saying the beating was in part due her being trans, That is just one side of the story, but leave it to a certain group of people to automatically throw up that trans phobia flag.
No one should be fighting anyone. Life is short. But things happen, and things happen. Things are said in the heat of the moment. This could of been someone getting singled out for being trans, or this just could of been brewing from that earlier argument. I mean lets get all the facts before deciding what is what.
Kev C
The good news is that neighbors got involved and stopped the fight, one even stood over her to stop the attack. She’s considered moving out but neighbors have convinced her to stay.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/virginia/transgender-woman-attacked-outside-7-eleven-in-fredericksburg-052411