Lateisha Green trial begins

The trial for the murder of Lateisha Green begins today. If Dwight R. DeLee, the accused, is convicted it will be the second time someone has been convicted of a hate crime in New York for killing a transgender person. According to the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, one transgender person is murdered every month in the US.

As a youth, Lateisha faced immense discrimination and harassment, and had trouble finding friends in school. A warm-hearted person with a passion for childcare and dancing, Lateisha was described as outgoing and social by her family. She was shot November 14,2008 by DeLee outside a party she went to with her brother.

There have been numerous reports of violence against transgender individuals. Only 12 states have hate crime laws that cover sexual orientation and gender identification. Check out what your state has in terms of hate crime laws, and if they do not cover gender identity and sexual orientation, do something about it!

Words cannot express how terrible it is that people are murdered because they do not fit with society's gender norms and fear of difference. What did Lateisha ever do to deserve being murdered? Why is gender so important that any transgression is equal to a death sentence, when society created and maintains gender and gender norms?

Photo courtsey of www.flickr/transgenderwarrior