the l.a. times reports that lawrence king, the gay boy who wore feminine clothes, will undergo an autopsy today. as if lawrence will ever do anything. i wonder why the media frames these acts of violence in the way they do.
his alleged murderer, brandon mcinerney, age 14, will be tried as an adult, with the added severity of a hate crime.
in what kind of world do we live, where children are taught to kill those of us who are different? who step outside those sacred gender roles. who love individuals of the “same sex”.
i can imagine what kind of narrative might have been going through the alleged murderer’s head. we’ve all heard those words before. i’ve heard those words before. some, spoken at me, with hatred, as if they were bullets.
in the violence against us, there is no difference between lawrence and myself. while he may have identified as gay, and while i may identify as trans, in the minds of those who would do us harm, we are the same. the violence perpetrated against us is motivated by the same sickness.
some of us placed into the lgbt community argue that we are different. that we should remain separate. politically, socially, legally. that our needs are different.
i disagree. we’re all human. and we all fight for human rights. equality, in medical care, housing, employment, and most basically, the right to exist as ourselves without getting shot or harassed. you know, the same human rights that white christian men enjoy. the same christian men who would veto a bill that would help to secure those rights for others.
some say that lawrence was trans. some say he was gay. i say he was human, a human who was denied the same rights that all lgbt people fight for, and struggle through simply to survive.
i have today off from work. i had a doctor appointment this morning, which i plan to blog about later, perhaps tonight or tomorrow. right now, i’m off to the pistol range. tonight is ladies night, and the range time is free. i like to think that practicing will provide an environment in which i’ll have equal footing with people like brandon mcinerney. because they are all around us.
” i like to think that practicing will provide an environment in which i’ll have equal footing with people like brandon mcinerney. because they are all around us.”
Guns will never, ever solve anything.
Comment by Liz — February 15, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
if you believe that, you might want to watch this.
Comment by nexy — February 15, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
If it comes down to kill or be killed a gun can save ones life. Phobic people tend to be armed. Knowing how to safely use a gun by practicing is important for our safety. I have never been able to talk, or love a hater into not hating me. If they come for me, I will be safer than not having the means and training to protect myself.
Comment by John — February 18, 2008 @ 6:25 pm