Beyond Getting Tired Of Black Trans Women Getting Attacked For BS

Last week I went to Austin to testify in favor of HB 1513, a bill sponsored by TX state Rep. Garnet Coleman that would have added gender identity to our state's James Byrd Hate Crimes Act.

Once again, the people most in need of being covered by that act were left out in the political cold as the bill died in committee.   Never mind the fact that we'd had two Black trans people attacked in Dallas and Killeen a week apart BEFORE I made the trip to Austin to testify in favor of that bill.

Now I'm hearing about a 22 year old Black trans woman who was shot outside a Waffle House in the suburban Memphis town of Southaven, MS early Friday morning.

Nia Brooke Smith was verbally abused by Hampton as she walked into the Waffle House on Hamilton Road near Main Street in Southaven around 3:00 AM CST on May 10 to simply get some food and head home. 

An argument and fight ensued after transphobic disrespect was aimed at her and Hampton threw a glass of water in her face.   Smith defended herself, attempted to walk away and get in her car to leave the Waffle House and was cut off by Hampton. causing a traffic accident.    Hampton subsequently pulled out a gun as Smith got out of her car and attempted to use it as a shield.    Hampton was shot twice in both legs.  One of the bullets broke her femur bone, and will require surgery to fix.

Smith was taken to Regional One Hospital in Memphis for treatment.   Prayers going up to Nia and her family, and I hope she has a speedy recovery from her injuries.

I also want justice for Nia as well.

23 year old Jimtarius Hampton of Memphis was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with aggravated assault, manifest extreme indifference to life   He spent the weekend in the DeSoto County (MS) jail without bond, and is appearing in court on May 15.

This is also not Hampton''s first brush with the law.  As a 19 year old Lane College student he was arrested after he shot someone in the leg during an on campus altercation.

Mississippi does have a hate rimes law, but it doesn't cover gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.  Mississippi police and sheriffs departments are not required to report hate crimes to the FBI.   Two bills to update the Magnolia State's hate crimes laws, House Bill 1494 and Senate Bill 2163 failed to advance out of committee in the Republican controlled Mississippi Legislature.

Mississippi's current hate crimes law does allow prosecutors to seek enhanced penalties against a person for committing a crime against another person based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, national origin or gender.

But back to discussing what happened here in Southaven.   The Black trans community is beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of Black trans women (and Black trans men) being assaulted by cis Black people because you have a personal problem with us existing.

You also need to work out whatever toxic masculinity issues you have with a therapist.  Black Trans World is not here to be your punching bags to make you feel better about your miserable selves.

FYI to you trans attracted men trying to hook up with us.  Spouting anti-trans insults when you're hanging out with your homies, then trying to get with us on the sly later is not a good look for you, and is a real turnoff. 

Black trans people are Black people.  We exist, and we aren't going away or back into the closet.  If you have a problem with us living our lives, that's on you.   It does not give you cis Black people carte blanche to disrespect us, put your hands on us, or kill us.

Contrary to what you peeps may think, violently putting your hands on a Black trans woman or killing us WILL get you serious jail time.

And it needs to stop.   Today.

Moni's Back In Austin Again!

While BTAC 2019 concluded yesterday, still couldn't go home just yet.   I hopped a Megabus from Dallas down I-35 to come to Austin for the fifth time this session.

An opportunity presented itself to go on legislative offense for a change when I was notified that HB 1513 was scheduled for a hearing in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee today.

HB 1513 would add gender identity and expression to the Texas James Byrd Hate Crimes Law, and it is something that is long overdue.

It's authored by Rep Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) with Reps Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas), Jessica Gonzalez (D-Dallas) and Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City)  signing on as co-authors

I came to the ATX after BTAC ended because there's a 9 AM CDT press conference being held by Rep Coleman that I'm speaking at this morning.    I'll also be signing up to testify in favor of the bill when it has its scheduled hearing at 2 PM in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.

The committee is chaired by Rep. Nicole Collier (D-Ft Worth) with her Vice Chair being Rep Bill Zedler (R-Arlington)

The members of House Jurisprudence are Reps Keith Bell (R-Forney), Jessica Gonzalez (D-Dallas), Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), Phil King (R-Weatherford), Joe Moody (D-El Paso), Andrew Murr (R-Junction), and Rep. Leo Pacheco  (D-San Antonio)   

You may wish to call their offices and politely ask them to vote in favor of HB 1513.    I'll do my best to make the case when the hearing starts at 2 PM CDT in room E2.112 why they should do so.

That hearing will be broadcast, and you can check it out on the Texas House legislative website. 

Rest In Power and Peace, Brenda Bostick

We have lost another trans woman to anti-trans violence., this time in New York

We don't know the name, or the ethnic background of the 59 year old woman who has unfortunately become the 10th trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence in the United States in 2017.

What we do know at this time is that she was found severely beaten, unconscious and badly hurt on April 25 outside of a Five Guys restaurant at 10:30 PM EDT on 7th Avenue.

She was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where she died from her injuries on May 4.
It is unknown at this time whether she regained consciousness, but law enforcement sources are stating that her injuries do not appear to be self-inflicted nor from a fall and they are investigating this case as a homicide.

NYPD doesn't have at this time any suspects in this murder case, so if you have any information about that April 25 night that can help solve this case or lead to the identification of the victim, you are asked to call the NYPD

An autopsy is being done by the medical examiner to determine the cause of death, and notification next of kin is happening at this time.  My New York area trans family are working to discover who this fallen trans person was, and as soon as I get more details either from the media or the New York area trans community, I will pass them along to you.

Rest in power and peace Number 10.   Hopefully we will find out what you name was so we can honor you and your life properly.  We also pray for the expeditious capture, prosecution and conviction of the person or persons who callously took your life, and won't rest until that happens..

TransGriot Update  Thanks to Elizabeth Rivera, we now know number 10's name.  It is Brenda Bostick, and yes she was Black .  

Ms. Bostick is now the ninth Black trans woman we've lost in a five month span due to anti-trans violence

#SayHerName  #StopKillingBlackTransWomen   #BlackTransLivesMatter

Trans Woman Attacked In NYC Subway Station

When I last visited New York City in December, one of the things I was cognizant of while riding their subways was making sure I was standing in the middle of the subway station platforms as I waited for my MTA trains to take me wherever I wanted to go.

I was well aware of the history of people being either shoved onto the tracks or into oncoming trains by disturbed people.

And while there are a lot of girls in NYC who are my height, I was definitely paying attention to my surroundings when I was riding the subways.

With the increased attention on trans people because of the media hoopla surrounding Caitlyn Jenner, it's also had the affect of transphobia being ramped up in right wing circles that may manifest itself into increased hate attacks on transpeople

On Monday a 28 year old trans woman waiting for a  southbound 6 train at Manhattan's Bleecker St. Station at 9 AM EDT was assaulted and shoved off the platform by a male assailant.

The assailant asked the woman “What are you looking at?” while standing nearby on the platform. He then “ran to a garbage pail” and removed a plastic bottle which he threw at her before pushing her onto the tracks, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

Commuters pulled the woman off the tracks and back onto the platform as the assailant fled the scene  Authorities then took the woman to Bellevue Hospital where she was treated for lacerations on her chin and other bruises on her chin and arm before being released.

NYPD is investigating this incident as a hate crime, and this person is wanted for the crime.

And note to you trans haters, trans women are not your societal punching bags for your personal problems and issues.

As we wish our trans sister who was attacked a speedy recovery from her injuries, let us also hope the waste of DNA who committed this crime be swiftly arrested and punished for it.

Upcoming Houston HPD-LGBT Community Dialogue

When all that anti-trans and /SGL hate speech was flung by our faith based haters in opposition to the passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, one of the things I feared was a spike in hate crimes in the area because of it. 

It's taken a while, with the attack on transwoman Thailand Warr being the first warning sign that the hate speech sown during the HERO passage campaign was beginning to manifest itself into hate violence.

Now that we have had a fatal attack yesterday morning resulting in the death of a 22 year old man and  two other gay men wounded, now people are paying attention to what I warned about back in November.

A town hall meeting is being set up to take place at the Montrose Center on Saturday April 11 from 10 AM-1 PM CDT that will involve HPD Chief Charles McClelland, HPD's command staff, the HPD LGBT Liaison EJ Joseph, HPD personnel and other community leaders to discuss the growing crime wave and come up with solutions to this problem.

I can throw one old school solution out there right now.  

In the wake of the murder of Paul Broussard outside a gay nightclub back in 1991 by The Woodlands 10, the Q Patrol was formed.

Looks like we may have to resurrect it.

But we'll see what happens on April 11

Houston Hate Crimes Town Hall Meeting Next Sunday

According to the latest hate crime statistics, in 2013 there were five hate crimes reported that targeted lesbian, gay and bisexual Houstonians.

And how many were there reported that targeted transgender Houstonians?   ZERO.

Those are unbelievable numbers in a city of over two million people and no non-discrimination law on the books covering us at the time and suggests that the actual number of hate crimes directed at the Houston TBLG community is being vastly under reported.

In order to learn directly from Houston's LGBT community about bias crimes in Houston, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Montrose Center will be hosting a Town Hall meeting.

2 - 3 PM
General meeting about hate crimes and anti-LGBT bias in Houston

3:15 - 4:15 PM
The transgender-specific experience

We want to hear your experience with anti-LGBT harassment and violence in Houston, or the experiences of people you know.

For example, if you experienced anti-LGBT aggression of some kind, did you report it to the police?

If you did, was it investigated properly?

If you didn't report it to the police, what kept you from reporting it?
What changes would the Houston  LGBT community need to see in order to feel fully confident that law enforcement will investigate and prosecute hate crimes?

By learning more about the actual state of anti-LGBT bias in Houston, we believe the accuracy of future hate crimes reporting will be improved, and future hate crimes will be documented and prosecuted by law enforcement. This will ultimately make Houston safer for everyone.

This is a listening session. No law enforcement personnel will be there. We are committed to provide a safe space for those in attendance.

This will take place next Sunday at the Montrose Center, 408 Branard St

If you have been the victim of a hate crime, whether or not you reported it, you can come talk to a therapist at the Montrose Center at no charge. The Montrose Center often sees people who have kept it a secret for years and years. It is never too late to get help. Call 713-529-0037 x328 to speak with their Hate Crimes Specialist.

Trans Woman Beaten In New York

This is another concrete example why GENDA needs to be expeditiously passed.

Was pissed off to hear via Gay City News that on October 12 a 28 year old trans woman was brutally beaten by four men in the Bushwick neighborhood around 11:20 PM EDT.

The incident took place outside of 1250 Buckwick Ave near Halsey St, and started when the transwoman while walking with a gay friend was approached by the man and asked 'what they were doing in the neighborhood'.

When they figured out the woman was trans, they began calling her a 'faggot' and beat her with a 2x4.  The gay friend escaped without injury, but the still unidentified transwoman was transported to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the hate attack.  In addition to the NYPD having surveillance video of it along with the weapon used in the assault, a bystander captured phone video of it.

The still unidentified transwoman according to Kate Barnhart, the executive director of, New Alternatives for Homeless LGBT Youth. was a client of their organization.  Barnhart added that it is not known at this time if the victim will have permanent brain damage as a result of this hate attack.

Barnhart added, “It is outrageous that transgender people are still not safe in what is supposed to be the safest LGBT city in the world.”

They are not safe because New York State has not passed GENDA and added gender identity in the hate crimes laws, or thrown the book at the waste of DNA who killed Islan Nettles last year.

Here's hoping these wastes of DNA are swiftly captured and is served in this heinous attack.justice

TransGriot Update:  The surveillance video of the wastes of DNA in this case.

RIP Yaz'min Shancez

Some sad news to report coming out of Florida in terms of another one of our sisters being brutally murdered.  

The burned body of 31 year old Yaz'min Shancez was found behind a dumpster off Fowler Street Thursday morning in Fort Myers, FL.  

She had been shot prior to the burning of her body.  The death has been ruled a homicide, but Fort Myers police as of yet aren't investigating it as a hate crime.

And tragically, Yaz'min died two years to the day  her 16 year old sister Cha'Riah Owens was shot and killed..

"Nobody deserves that," said Beatrice Loggins, Shancez's aunt in an interview. "Straight, gay, purple, pink, white, black. Nobody...There will never be another T, you couldn't clone her, couldn't mold her."

A vigil will be held later today starting at 7:30 PM EDT to honor the memory of Yaz'min Shancez at Centennial Park, 2000 W First St, Fort Myers, FL.       

In addition the Facebook group, there is also a fundraising page that has been set up to help the family pay for Yaz'min's burial expenses.

If you have information to help solve this crime and bring the waste or wastes of DNA who did this to justice, please call the Fort Myers Police Department at 239-321-7700, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS or text message C-R-I-M-E-S (274637) Keyword FMPD.

Rest in Power, Yaz'min.   You are another one of our sisters who was taken away from us way too soon.

Perps Busted In ATL MARTA Trans Hate Attack

The two wastes of DNA who were caught on video attacking two African-American trans women on a MARTA train in Atlanta as people cheered and did nothing to halt it have been arrested.

34 year old Luther L. Thomas and 35 year old Frederick L. Missick have been arrested by MARTA police, charged with disorderly conduct (you're kidding, right?) and are chilling in the Fulton County Jail on $2,500 bonds apiece for attacking Janell Crosby and Tyra Woods.   

Both perps were Atlanta residents.  Thomas was arrested on Thursday while Missick was picked up by MARTA police yesterday.

The May 20 incident started when Crosby and Woods were walking to the Five Points MARTA station in downtown Atlanta to catch a southbound train to Oakland City Station.  They were confronted by a group of men, harassed, and had photos taken of them while enduring homophobic and transphobic slurs..   

Thomas and Missick persisted in continuing the abuse during the train ride as Crosby repeatedly told them to stop.   Thomas then physically attacked Crosby as Missick attacked Woods, who was trying to help her friend and stripped her of her clothing.

Thomas and Missick have also been suspended from riding MARTA.   

The ugly incident has incensed the ATL trans community and our local allies, and Mayor Kasim Reed through spokesperson Melissa Mullinax had this to say about it on Thursday.

"The mayor condemns hate crimes of any kind and is committed to the equal rights and equal treatment of Atlanta’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents, workers and visitors. The City’s non-discrimination laws were recently amended with the Mayor’s full support to include gender identity as a protected class," said Mullinax.

"The incident on the MARTA train is disturbing. We understand that MARTA is conducting a thorough investigation and we look forward to the authorities bringing those accountable to justice," she adds.

Two town halls are planned in the Atlanta area to discuss the incident.  One town hall is being facilitated by the group Solutions Not Punishment Coalition on June 3 at the Phillip Rush Center that will start at 5:30 PM EDT.   The second will be facilitated by Restoration Inclusive Ministries at its Decatur, GA church on June 4 and start at 7:30 PM

In the meantime, as justice is being sought in this case, Crosby decided to move back to New York as a result of this incident and Woods is staying with relatives in Cleveland, OH.

As to what outcome Crosby wants to see from this case, she replied, “I really want an apology from them and I really want the law put on them.”      

And your transsisters around the ATL, the nation and the world want the same just outcome.

Will April Be A Deadly Month For African-American Transwomen This Year?

With the calendar page flipping from March to April, the weather gets warmer (at least in some parts of the country), the shorts come out and people emerge to enjoy the wonderful spring weather. 

And over the last two years, what has emerged is a distressing pattern of the month of April being a particularly deadly one for African-American trans women.  

There were three slayings of African-American transwomen in April 2012, and that pattern continued in 2013.   Kelly Young and Ashley Sinclair were killed 48 hours apart in Baltimore and Orlando, and Cemia Dove Acoff's lifeless body was discovered on April 17.

So will we see a threepeat of that pattern in 2014?   I hope and pray we don't, but with the increased attention transpeople and trans issues are getting in the media, it has also fueled backlash.  Some of that backlash will be manifested in people who are mean spirited, hateful and angry enough to take their transphobia to murderous levels. 

And let this post serve as your wake up call.   Remember you are walking around in Black feminine bodies, which like our cisgender Black feminine counterparts, draw their share of murderous attention, too.

So my transsisters, be vigilant and most importantly be safe so I don't have to type out stories of a transwoman being killed somewhere in this country during the month of April.   

Composite Sketch Of Suspect In Houston SGL Couple Murder

As many of you here in the Houston area and beyond are aware of, two African-American SGL women were found dead near a Port Bolivar convenience store dumpster Friday.  

This is a composite sketch of the suspect in the murder of Houston couple Britney Cosby and Crystal Jackson, who were both 24 years old.  Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset wouldn’t elaborate on how the man and the victims were connected, but is quoted in a KHOU-TV report as saying it’s likely the women were killed somewhere in Houston before their bodies were brought to the Port Bolivar location where they were found.

Galveston County detectives are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect in the composite drawing. He would have been last seen with the victims and in their vehicle, a 2006 silver Kia SUV.

Those with information are asked to contact the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office at 866-248-8477 or Galveston County Crime Stoppers 409-763-8477.

White Perp Knocks Out The Racist 'Knockout Game' Narrative

Amazing how the appearance of one white male shuts down this whole racialized 'knockout game' media 'scurrfest' and 'urban predator' meme.  

Here in the Houston 'burbs, 27 year old Katy resident Conrad Barrett attacked a 79 year old African-American man while he was out for a November 24 walk in his Katy neighborhood.  

The vicious assault resulted in the man's jaw being fractured in two places and left him hospitalized for four days. 

Meanwhile the waste of DNA went to a bar in Fulshear, TX the same day and showed video of it to a person who was alleged to have been an off-duty police officer.  Barrett was arrested December 26, and a search of his phone not only revealed 10 more attacks,  but one of him making the alleged comment, "The plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?"

Duh, when you viciously attack an African-American senior citizen, you damned skippy it's going national and probably international.  It's also guaranteed to go national when you make racist comments and derogatory statements toward my people.




One of the gems of racist idiocy from this fool is one video in which he says that African-Americans "haven't fully experienced the blessing of evolution."   

Dude, the first human on this planet looked like me and originated in Africa.  Looks like the only person who hasn't 'fully experienced the blessing of evolution' is your wannabee white hood wearing behind. 

Barrett is being charged with one count of violating the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Act.  The criminal complaint was filed under seal December 24, 2013, and unsealed upon his December 26 arrest.   He has made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy and if he is convicted, he is facing a maximum of 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
           

NoMoreDownLow.TV Upcoming Show On Unsolved Black LGBT Murders

NoMoreDownLow.TV is in its third season of broadcasting shows about the African American SGL, trans and bi community from our perspective.

It is executive produced by Earnest Winborne and broadcast its first episode three years ago on October 11, 2010 (Happy Anniversary!). 

On the next episode of NoMoreDownLow.TV it will broadcast a special report entitled: Unsolved Black LGBT Murders, Attacks, and Hate Crimes with its hosts Janora McDuffie, Kendell Hogan, Mark Noble and Lawrencia Dandridge.

Show will be posted this Sunday, October 13th, so you may wish to check it out.

One Down,Three To Go In LA

One of the wastes of DNA suspected of being involved in the brutal May 31 transphobic hate assault on Vivian Diego was arrested by LAPD Hollywood Division detectives in the San Fernando Valley

21 year old Nicol Shakhnazaryan, was arrested Thursday night on felony battery charges for the May 31 attack and is being held on a $1.05 million bond.  LAPD with an assist from the FBI are searching for the other three suspects and the $25,000 reward for information leading to their capture is still in effect.

One down, three to go.

Eva Longoria Offers Support To Trans Employee

I have much love for my fellow Texan Eva Longoria, and like many people in the trans community was pissed to hear the story about about trans barista Vivian Diego.

The 22 year old Diego worked at Longoria's LA restaurant Beso that she opened in 2008 with chef Todd English. 

Vivian was headed home after working her shift at the restaurant when she was ambushed near the Hollywood Blvd LA METRO station by four knuckle dragging wastes of DNA, severely beaten and left for dead 

Vivian was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and treated for two fractured ribs, a shattered cheekbone, a broken jaw and damage to her temple.  The perpetrators of the assault are still being sought by the LAPD's Hollywood Division  and it is being investigated as a hate crime. 

It didn't get much better when that cesspool of transphobia celeb gossip blog Bossip posted the story and I ended up along with several other transpeople and our allies having to go to war in the comment section against all the transphobic ignorance running amok in the comment threads.

On June 3 Longoria tweeted about the incident and offered support to Diego by posting on "My heart and prayers are with Victor Diego and his family."

Glad to hear her comment about it, and hope the LAPD gets the creeps who did this.

Want Fries With That Transphobic Hate Crime?

Can we trans women have a day in which somebody is not fracking with either us or the people who give a damn about us?  

Guess that's too much to ask.

The latest incident of cis haters gone wild happened in New York's Greenwich Village gayborhood at a McDonald's at 136 W. Third Street on September 19 to a transwoman and her boyfriend.

That particular Mickey D's has been plagued by some recent disturbing incidents including a patron badly beaten up in March 2011 because someone didn't like his pink tennis shoelaces.

Jamar McLeod, 24, told the NY Daily News he and his girlfriend, 22 year old Jalisa “JoJo” Griffen had just picked up her hormone medicine Wednesday night and were headed back to their apartment in Bushwick when they headed into the fast food restaurant on W. Third St. around 7 PM EDT to grab something to eat and use the bathroom

While in line McLeod got into a conversation with Griffen about how people were being attacked just for being gay.  He was overheard by their 350 pound tormentor Keith Patron, who butted into their conversation and started hurling homophobic slurs at the couple punctuated with '"I can't stand gay people."

McLeod implored him to leave it alone, but the bully from the Bronx escalated the verbal abuse when Griffen headed to the ladies bathroom.  Patron said she needed to 'use the men's room', kept up the homophobic and transphobic slurs and threatened to beat her up.  McLeod told him that wasn't happening, and he wasn't touching his girlfriend without going through him first.  

They ended up outside the restaurant and after ducking a swing from the McHater McLeod proceeded to give the transphobic bully a proper beatdown complete with a knee to the groin and a punch to the face. 

That's when the 44 year old Patron pulled out a razor and slashed McLeod on the elbow, neck and face.  He was treated at Bellevue Hospital and released but unfortunately the scars from the unprovoked attack will be permanent ones.  

Patron was arrested and charged with assault as a hate crime.  He's being held in jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond and hopefully justice will prevail in this case.

But once again, it's a situation occurring in which we're minding our own business and trying to get through our day without drama, and some phobic idiot thinks he has carte blanche to say and do anything they wish to us.

And that shyt needs to stop.   It will only stop when people are properly prosecuted and sent to jail for doing so.

Remember Trayvon Martin's Name

Melissa Harris-Perry did on her show last weekend.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ecole Polytechnique Massacre Anniversary

December 6, 1989 is a date that Canadian women will never forget.  It is the anniversary of the worst school shooting ever conducted in Canada.

Canadians lover their flags to half staff and remember the fourteen women whose lives were cut short on that horrific.day in Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte, and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.

Thirteen of them were students at the Ecloe Polytechnique.  Twelve were studying engineering, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz was a nursing student, and Maryse Laganière worked in the school's financial services office.. 

It was perpetrated by Marc Lépine, who harbored a deep seated hatred of women and feminism, and believed that both were ruining his life.  A little after 4 PM EST he barged into one of the classrooms in the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, separated the nine female students from the male ones and after declaring he hated feminists, shot them all, killing six.  

Lépine roamed the building for the next twenty terrifying minutes killing another seven students, a female clerk  in the financial services office, and wounded another 21 people in a twenty minute span before killing himself in a third floor classroom.

The suicide note found on Lépine had a list of another 19 women in Quebec that he planned to kill because he perceived them to be feminists.  The list included journalist and feminist newspaper founder Francine Pelletier, a union leader, a politician, a television personality and six female police officers who came to his attention because they played together on a volleyball team.    

The Ecole Polytechnique massacre led to the passage of the Firearms Act in 1995 that ushered in stricter gun control regulations in Canada.  The Firearms Act includes a gun registry that the Conservative Harper government has been trying to overturn since they gained power in 2008.

On the anniversary of the event last year I posted an essay that Renee of Womanist Musings had previously written about the tragedy..    


In 1991, Canada’s Parliament declared December 6 a National Day of Mourning and the National Day to End Violence Against Women with flags lowered to half staff across the nation to commemorate the day.

Elsewhere around the world, we should  also take a moment to reflect on women who are senselessly killed every day around the world by violence aimed at them for simply being who they are.

Hate At NC State Turns To Hope

When you start pimping hate legislation as the Republicans in North Carolina are trying to do with this proposed constitutional ban on same gender marriage, it sends a dog whistle message to the unhinged haters in the state that it's okay to let it flow against that marginalized group.

Some wastes of DNA last Monday vandalized the Harrelson Hall offices of North Carolina State's GLBT Center in the state capital of Raleigh between 8:30 and 10 PM EDT by spraying purple paint on the doors of the center and its glass display case.   The graffiti was down by Tuesday, and no arrests have been made as of yet.

"What we understand it to be is a crime motivated by hate bias," GLBT Center Director Justine Hollingshead said.   Police are investigating it because defacing state property is a crime in North Carolina but have declined to state as to whether they are investigating the incident as a bias crime.

The center opened in 2008 to serve the 3.15% of the student body that identified as members of the rainbow community on campus and what touched the GLBT Center folks and the TBLG students on campus was the outpouring of support they received from their fellow NC State students in the wake of the attack. 

At a SGA meeting Tuesday night, members of Student Government voted in favor of two bills promoting diversity on campus. In one of the bills Senators passed, they voted to send a letter to the legislature in Raleigh on behalf of the entire student body. The letter will tell the state lawmakers that the N.C. State students are fully against the constitutional ban of gay marriage.

A 'State Not Hate' rally was planned in two days and executed October 28 which drew over 500 students faculty and staff members with NC State Provost Warwick Arden, Vice Chancellor Thomas Stafford, and other university figures speaking out about the center's importance and the value of diversity on campus.

Arden called the vandalism “a reprehensible act of hatred and intimidation.”as a petition condemning the attack began to circulate that has received over 1000 signatures. 

If those wastes of DNA who committed the crime has the intention of terrorizing the LGBT community at NC State with their reprehensible actions, what they revealed instead was how much support they have instead..