CeCe McDonald Sentenced Today (June 4, 2012)

[alexis.anagram]

CeCe McDonald, the young black transgender woman who accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter last month will be incarcerated by the state of Minnesota as a male. McDonald was arrested after she stabbed a white male who was part of a group of that physically and verbally attacked her with transgender and racial slurs.

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of three years and five months in prison, according to the Star Tribune.

Black Transgender Woman CeCe McDonald to be Housed in Male Prison - COLORLINES

For those who don't know, CeCe's prosecution is an exceptional case study in how poorly the criminal justice system in the US serves people of color and queer individuals. If you think Trayvon Martin's case was exemplar of systematized prejudice, here's a bit of history on CeCe:

There are varied accounts of what happened on June 5 [2011], but CeCe and the people she was with all agree on the following details. Around 12:30 am, CeCe was walking to the grocery store with some friends, all of them young, African American, and either queer or allied. As they passed a local bar, the Schooner Tavern, a group of older, white people who were standing outside the bar’s side door began hurling racist and transphobic slurs at them, without provocation. They called CeCe and her friends ‘faggots,’ ‘******s,’ and ‘chicks with dicks,’ and suggested that CeCe was ‘dressed as a woman’ in order to ‘rape’ Dean Schmitz, one of the attackers. When CeCe approached the group and told them that her crew would not tolerate hate speech, one of the women said, “I’ll take you bitches on,” and then smashed her glass into CeCe’s face. She punctured CeCe’s cheek all the way through, lacerating her salivary gland. A fight ensued, during which one of the attackers, Dean Schmitz, was fatally stabbed.


The only person arrested that night was CeCe. She is now being falsely accused of murder.

Background « Support CeCe!
(The link contains more regarding her treatment after being incarcerated and other details.)

So basically, CeCe is being put in prison for not getting killed by a bunch of hostile cis scum assholes. Good job America. As a genderqueer trans person, this whole case makes me really angry and sad. Supporters have been lobbying for CeCe to be granted an alternative sentence of house arrest as incarceration in a male prison puts her at major risk for sexual abuse (as well as invalidating her gender), so we'll see. Here's hoping.



Relevant links:
Updates on the CeCe McDonald case « Stuff Queer People Need To Know
planetransgender: CeCe McDonald to be Sentenced For Not Being Murdered: INjustice Done
cece mcdonald | Tumblr

 

[D.D.D]

Wow, this is happening in my state and I didn't even hear about it until now.
That glass to the face sounded like it hurt pretty bad. So, let me get this straight: she's actually a female and is being sent to a male prison, but is transgender and should be in a female prison, right? IDK, I might have it skewed. I'm not too sure on these terms. But anyways, I don't know why they'd put her in a male prison. She's biologically female, right?
Well, I hope at least she made it out of the fight okay (I know you said that her salivary gland was hit). House arrest would be a lot better than male prison, I'm sure.

 

[alexis.anagram]

So, let me get this straight: she's actually a female and is being sent to a male prison, but is transgender and should be in a female prison, right?

No, CeCe is a trans woman who was assigned male at birth. Yes, she's actually a woman. No, she shouldn't be in prison at all.

 

[Chuman]

US Government: Hey, let's give innocent people less rights in this country because of something they either can't help or don't want, then label them so they feel uncomfortable in public. Finally, we'll rule them guilty almost instantly in a "fair" trial, and give the real, white, upper-class, culprits a slap on the wrist. Foolproof.

 

[alexis.anagram]

US Government: Hey, let's give innocent people less rights in this country because of something they either can't help or don't want, then label them so they feel uncomfortable in public. Finally, we'll rule them guilty almost instantly in a "fair" trial, and give the real, white, upper-class, culprits a slap on the wrist. Foolproof.

And I love you. x'D
Seriously, though. I've been depressed all day about this so it's nice to see someone empathizing.

Meanwhile, Obama just declared June LGBT pride month. Again. I hate this country.

 

[Chuman]

And I love you. x'D
Seriously, though. I've been depressed all day about this so it's nice to see someone empathizing.

Meanwhile, Obama just declared June LGBT pride month. Again. I hate this country.

I hate that. Stop Black History Month, stop LGBT Pride Month, I want every month to fuckin' Tooty Fruity Human Celebration Month, where no one is discriminated, everybody gets respected, and anyone who shows that they're genuinely bigoted get the same treatment people like CeCe McDonald are given.

Or become an organ donor.

 

[Jozi]

US Government: Hey, let's give innocent people less rights in this country because of something they either can't help or don't want, then label them so they feel uncomfortable in public. Finally, we'll rule them guilty almost instantly in a "fair" trial, and give the real, white, upper-class, culprits a slap on the wrist. Foolproof.

Unfortunately I don't think that's the case. Although what those men did was terrible -and the survivors should be accused of hate crimes- someone did die, and somebody has to go to jail. Also, I'm sure the girl accused could call an unfair trial or something (and didn't she plead guilty?)

 

[OmniChaos]

Meanwhile, Obama just declared June LGBT pride month. Again. I hate this country.

What an idiot. Nothing like helping unite the country more than further pushing titles like 'gay', 'African American', and etc. that further divide us. Ah...

 

[Ulti]

Suuure. Take a bad bit of injustice and apply it to my entire country. I don't feel bloody offended at all.

 

[Chuman]

Suuure. Take a bad bit of injustice and apply it to my entire country. I don't feel bloody offended at all.

It wasn't aimed towards you, it was aimed towards the government.

Also, a bad bit of injustice has been happening pretty frequent as of late.

 

[Solar]

Suuure. Take a bad bit of injustice and apply it to my entire country. I don't feel bloody offended at all.

are you bonking stupid

this has nothing to do with you. your country still has a terrible attitude towards homophobia, racism, and especially transphobia.

deal with it.

 

[OmniChaos]

Suuure. Take a bad bit of injustice and apply it to my entire country. I don't feel bloody offended at all.

Offensive or not, it's the truth. I can't even count the number of times I've heard of innocent people going to prison or guilty people getting off free this year alone, and that's only in my city.

Point is, our government has been going downhill fast, and this case, where a man was stabbed in self-defense and the one being attacked gets punished, is simple proof of the fact.

 

[alexis.anagram]

Unfortunately I don't think that's the case. Although what those men did was terrible -and the survivors should be accused of hate crimes- someone did die, and somebody has to go to jail. Also, I'm sure the girl accused could call an unfair trial or something (and didn't she plead guilty?)

CeCe McDonald is not a threat to anyone's safety. She's a threat to shitty heteronormative sensibilities that can't stand people applying their gender or sexuality in a way that's considered "different," but that's hardly a crime. And I'm pretty sure someone doesn't have to go to jail every time someone dies. CeCe acted in self-defense, and she only copped a plea because the criminal "justice" system would have torn her case to shreds and then had her locked up for even more time. She's black and transgender. Look at the incarceration rates for people with either of those identifications relative to the general population and then find the statistics where those two factors intersect. It's not pretty.

I hate that. Stop Black History Month, stop LGBT Pride Month, I want every month to kupoin' Tooty Fruity Human Celebration Month, where no one is discriminated, everybody gets respected, and anyone who shows that they're genuinely bigoted get the same treatment people like CeCe McDonald are given.

Or become an organ donor.

While I agree with your sentiment, it's also not really that simple. The reason I dislike "[Insert Social Demographic] History/Pride Months" is because they're symbolic (read:useless) responses to real, persistent social issues. This particular example happens to prove that rather sweetly.

On the other hand, those real, persistent social issues need to be addressed, which is the spirit of activism on behalf of different social demographics. It's not as simple as, "We're all human, let's all be happy and make nice." There are historical and ongoing injustices against certain collectives and groups of people, not to mention an uneven distribution of wealth and power, that need to be accounted for, which is where the universal human argument falls short.

What an idiot. Nothing like helping unite the country more than further pushing titles like 'gay', 'African American', and etc. that further divide us. Ah...

It's not people being different that's the problem. It's people who can't stand different people who are the problem. I don't believe in homogenizing the human experience. I'm trans and proud of it. I WANT people to know and recognize that I'm trans, just like I want to be a part of my indigenous culture as something that is explicitly non-inclusive and generally transgress social norms (to the extent that social norms exist and are problematic). What I don't want is to have to live in constant fear of people hurting me for living in a way they don't approve of.

Suuure. Take a bad bit of injustice and apply it to my entire country. I don't feel bloody offended at all.

Oh no, I've offended Ulti. However will I compensate for this obvious reverse victimization ploy that I've never ever heard before. Oh wait, here, I baked a cake for all the poor privileged OFFENDED cis folks to say sorry:

 

[Chuman]

CeCe McDonald is not a threat to anyone's safety. She's a threat to shitty heteronormative sensibilities that can't stand people applying their gender or sexuality in a way that's considered "different," but that's hardly a crime. And I'm pretty sure someone doesn't have to go to jail every time someone dies. CeCe acted in self-defense, and she only copped a plea because the criminal "justice" system would have torn her case to shreds and then had her locked up for even more time. She's black and transgender. Look at the incarceration rates for people with either of those identifications relative to the general population and then find the statistics where those two factors intersect. It's not pretty.


While I agree with your sentiment, it's also not really that simple. The reason I dislike "[Insert Social Demographic] History/Pride Months" is because they're symbolic (read:useless) responses to real, persistent social issues. This particular example happens to prove that rather sweetly.

On the other hand, those real, persistent social issues need to be addressed, which is the spirit of activism on behalf of different social demographics. It's not as simple as, "We're all human, let's all be happy and make nice." There are historical and ongoing injustices against certain collectives and groups of people, not to mention an uneven distribution of wealth and power, that need to be accounted for, which is where the universal human argument falls short.


It's not people being different that's the problem. It's people who can't stand different people who are the problem. I don't believe in homogenizing the human experience. I'm trans and proud of it. I WANT people to know and recognize that I'm trans, just like I want to be a part of my indigenous culture as something that is explicitly non-inclusive and generally transgress social norms (to the extent that social norms exist and are problematic). What I don't want is to have to live in constant fear of people hurting me for living in a way they don't approve of.


Oh no, I've offended Ulti. However will I compensate for this obvious reverse victimization ploy that I've never ever heard before. Oh wait, here, I baked a cake for all the poor privileged OFFENDED cis folks to say sorry:

I was actually aiming at the fact we're being further segregated into groups. Don't even get me started on this:

Miss Black America Pagent Rebirth 2009

 

[alexis.anagram]

I was actually aiming at the fact we're being further segregated into groups. Don't even get me started on this:

Miss Black America Pagent Rebirth 2009

But that's my point. Voluntary segregation is completely OK; minority persons (including myself) often need non-inclusive spaces where we can feel safe and have our needs addressed. The Miss Black America Pageant isn't an example of forced segregation by a dominant class, it was actually (as I understand it) created in response to the lack of inclusion of black women within the mainstream Miss America Pageant-- so, basically, it's a way of restoring agency to black women by giving them a space where white people can't intrude and redirect attention to themselves. Whether or not I agree with all of the, erm, "technical" aspects of either pageant (which is to say the somewhat maligned beauty standard by which they function) is another story.

 

[Shinjuku]

Well here we go again with the american government (insert why their going down the drain here) crap again.

 

[alexis.anagram]

Well here we go again with the american government (insert why their going down the drain here) crap again.

Here we go again with people rather indignantly redirecting attention back onto themselves in order to foster some kind of misguided patriotic complex and completely missing the point in the process. Yes, I dissed Amerikuh. Lyke omg. If you actually think that justice was served here, please feel free to give some reasons why or at least have the decency to not make this about yourselves and your insulted sensibilities when someone has just had real, tangible detriments enacted against them.

(Apologies in advance if you were being sarcastic. I honestly can't tell with the way you worded that.)

 

[OmniChaos]

It's not people being different that's the problem. It's people who can't stand different people who are the problem. I don't believe in homogenizing the human experience. I'm trans and proud of it. I WANT people to know and recognize that I'm trans, just like I want to be a part of my indigenous culture as something that is explicitly non-inclusive and generally transgress social norms (to the extent that social norms exist and are problematic). What I don't want is to have to live in constant fear of people hurting me for living in a way they don't approve of.

I never said it was the problem; in fact, it's the furthest thing from the problem. The problem are these little titles that force people into these little groups. Yes, there will likely always be a little discrimination against people based on their race or sexuality, but titles that forcefully segregate people are certainly not helping the problem. Months designated to really push these differences by the government are especially not helping.

 

[Shinjuku]

@ alexis.anagram

Take it for how you want doesn't really bother me.

@ Omnichaos

Got to agree though certain things in America only keep dividing us up even more. Before we were just divided by race now it's by race, they way you speak, class status, etc. etc. list goes on.

 

[Pinwheel]

You know, as of recent, I'm starting to think that the media just needs to stay way the fuck out of any sort of court related matter. It just stirs up a bunch of shit where people feel like they need to do something - and I mean them, specifically - about a case based upon what they've read online, whether it be true or not. It's starting to get really, really old. I'm not saying the stuff reported in this isn't true, but with this and the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman shit the media just starts a shitstorm of angry people. Like I said, not saying what's happened isn't wrong, I'm just saying the media needs to start backing off of crap like this all the time.

And also

Suuure. Take a bad bit of injustice and apply it to my entire country. I don't feel bloody offended at all.

I agree with this post entirely. Every time something that seems injust happens in one court in America, everybody blames the entire country and talks about how we're going downhill.