Hate Crime Blood Lust

To those that use Angie Zapata’s death as a way to “raise” your profile by covering the trial, shame on you. I have to agree with Brielle over at Women In Love.

“Anyone who presents a rational ideology to empower the lgbt as a whole is basically ignored. People want blood. It’s the only thing that really draws their attention. We want liberation! we want free speech! (Please coat with blood first though, thanks)The dozens of sites that routinely re-post blogs that have violence against transgender in the headlines: These are Transgender ambulance chasers, trying to get tweets and clicks on their stat totals for the day.  Are they under the delusion that they are providing some kind of service to trans folk?”

I’ve resisted posting about the trial, because I don’t see how it will add anything to the case. It’s being broadcast nationwide and my commentary on the trial won’t bring anything to light that hasn’t already been talked about.

What bothers me most is that the blog coverage so far has been the “hey, look at me, I’m like Angie“. When I think on Brielle’s wording, I think about the self-aggrandizement covered in the blood of this hate crime victim. It makes me want to vomit. It’s not all about you. Is this what a reporter does? Thank the gods, I’m not one of them. I’m a blogger, and I’ll always be a blogger. That way, I can still have ethics. I can still choose what stories to cover, and how to cover them. And I don’t have to cover myself in the blood of hate crime victims to get my 15 minutes of fame. It’s a shame you do.

Marti Abernathey is the founder of the Transadvocate and the previous managing editor. Abernathey has worn many different hats, including that of podcaster, activist, and radiologic technologist. She's been a part of various internet radio ventures such as TSR Live!, The T-Party, and The Radical Trannies, TransFM, and Sodium Pentathol Sunday. As an advocate she's previously been involved with the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Rock Indiana Campaign for Equality, and the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition. She's taken vital roles as a grass roots community organizer in The Indianapolis Tax Day Protest (2003), The Indy Pride HRC Protest (2004), Transgender Day of Remembrance (2004), Indiana's Witch Hunt (2005), and the Rally At The Statehouse (the largest ever GLBT protest in Indiana - 3/2005). In 2008 she was a delegate from Indiana to the Democratic National Convention and a member of Barack Obama's LGBT Steering and Policy Committee. Abernathey currently hosts the Youtube Channel "The T-Party with Marti Abernathey."