Dwight R. DeLee receives max of 25 years for shooting death of Lateisha Green

TLDEF Statement on Sentencing in Lateisha Green Trial

"NEW YORK, NY - The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) today welcomed Judge William Walsh's sentencing of convicted killer Dwight R. DeLee to the maximum term of 25 years in prison in connection with the shooting death of Lateisha Green. Green, a 22-year-old African American transgender woman was shot and killed by DeLee on Nov. 14, 2008 in Syracuse, NY. On July 17, a 12-member jury found 20-year-old DeLee guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon. DeLee's conviction for committing a hate crime is the first involving the death of a transgender person in New York State. It is only the second such conviction in United States history. In addition to the sentence for manslaughter, DeLee was sentenced to a concurrent term of 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison on the weapon possession conviction."

"Today, a measure of justice has been delivered for Lateisha Green and her family with the imposition of the maximum sentence for this crime," said TLDEF Executive Director and attorney Michael Silverman. "While nothing can make up for the loss Lateisha's family has suffered, this sentence helps to bring some closure to Lateisha's family. The sentence sends a clear message that violence targeted at transgender people will be heavily penalized."

"Silverman has been working with the family since Lateisha's death in November. He was on the ground in Syracuse throughout the trial working closely with Lateisha's family. TLDEF collaborated with its sister organizations, including the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Empire State Pride Agenda and the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York."

"Transgender Americans continue to face a serious risk of violence and discrimination. African American transgender women are at particularly high risk," added Silverman. "Neither New York State law nor federal law includes gender identity or expression as hate crime categories and that sends a dangerous message that it is acceptable to leave part of our community vulnerable to hateful acts of violence simply because of who they are. We call upon our state and federal lawmakers to ensure adoption of transgender-inclusive legislation that will protect everyone regardless of their gender identity and gender expression."

Following the sentencing, Lateisha Green's family released this statement:

"Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that violence motivated by anti-transgender bias is unacceptable and wrong. It affects everyone in a community and it has left many hurt and distraught. We can only hope that Teish’s story will prevent any more loss of life simply because someone is different."

"It has been a little over nine months since Teish was taken away from us. On November 14, 2008, Dwight DeLee aimed a rifle and shot Teish. All it took was one bullet to pierce her heart. That one bullet ended Teish’s life and all of the possibilities that could have been a part of her future."

"That one bullet took away our brave and beloved family member and friend. But it also pierced our hearts and left us all feeling fearful, sad and angry. All of our hopes and dreams that we had for Teish were taken away from us simply because Teish was transgender. One bullet shattered all of our lives."

"Every possibility for Teish slipped away when Dwight DeLee shot and killed her. But today’s sentencing by the judge has left us to believe that new possibilities have replaced old ones. A possibility to begin a conversation for reconciliation and understanding in Syracuse. A possibility to pass state and federal laws that would protect everyone from this kind of violence. A possibility to share Teish’s story so that nobody will ever have to know the feeling of losing a child because of that child's gender identity."

"We want to thank everyone who supported our family during this difficult process and helped us to share Teish’s story. No legal proceeding can provide full closure for us. But we know that closure will come into our hearts as we continue to share this story with the world. We can only hope that more conversations about Teish and her life will prevent another bullet from taking another life. Though Teish left us 9 months ago, she has given us all the possibility to work towards a better tomorrow.
Thank you."

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

Transgender & Flying? Gender Matching ID Now Required for Domestic Flights

Gender and Date of Birth Now Required Information for domestic flights

Washington, DC, August 17, 2009-The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rolled out a new phase of their Secure Flight program over the weekend. Passengers will now be required to provide their birth date and gender when they book an airline ticket as part of a move to help distinguish passengers from those on the government's "watch list" (often called the "no-fly" list).

NCTE has issued a new FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about the Secure Flight program and its impact on transgender people. The resource includes information about how to navigate the new process, particularly if you have identification that does not match your gender presentation. NCTE firmly supports the right of transgender people to maintain our privacy and to travel freely.

NCTE has been engaged in ongoing work with TSA and administration officials about the Secure Flight program. There appears to be no chance of having the requirement of listing gender lifted; however, we will continue to work on how the policy is implemented in order to minimize the negative impacts. We are also monitoring the impact on transgender travelers. If you encounter difficulties when you travel, please contact us as 202-903-0112 and let us know. We may be able to provide you with assistance and the information can also help us as we work with TSA to help prevent future problems.

You can read more information in the New York Times about the Secure Flight Program.

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About NCTE The National Center for Transgender Equality is a national social justice organization devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues of importance to transgender people. By empowering transgender people and our allies to educate and influence policymakers and others, NCTE facilitates a strong and clear voice for transgender equality in our nation's capital and around the country. The National Center for Transgender Equality is a 501(c)3 organization.
http://www.nctequality.org/

LGBT & Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal or Presbyterian? Progressive Inclusive or exclusive dogma.

LGBT people are in a struggle that is part of the continuum. As long as one person is different from another there will be those in power who's fulfillment will come from excluding others.

Source New Jersey On-Line

* The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (4.7 million members), whose weeklong meeting in Minneapolis begins today will vote on whether non-celibate gay people can be ordained as Lutheran clergy, and on a statement saying same-gendered relationships have a place in the church.

* In July, the United Methodist News Service announced that the United Methodist Church (11 million members, 8 million of whom are Americans) is on track, based on early voting results, to reject an amendment that would let any professed Christian become a church member. Conservative opponents viewed the proposed change as implicit acceptance of homosexuality.

* Last month, the Episcopal Church USA (2.1 million members) rescinded a moratorium on electing gay bishops, a moratorium imposed under Anglican pressure three years after Robinson's election. It also said clergy can bless same-sex unions.

* In June, the Presbyterian Church USA (2.3 million members) announced the rejection of an amendment that would have let non-celibate gay people become clergy.

.John 6:58
The bread that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.
John 6:57-59 (in Context) John 6 (Whole Chapter)

Thanks to walking with Intergrity for posting this.

walking with integrity.blogspot

Sentencing Tomorrow in Lateisha Green Trial

Source: Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund

On July 17, Dwight R. DeLee was convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of 22-year-old Lateisha Green in Syracuse, New York. Tomorrow, DeLee will be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison for his role in the killing. TLDEF staff members are currently en route to Syracuse. We'll once again be blogging and posting Twitter and Facebook updates about developments on the ground at the sentencing.

The image you see in this message is from Essence magazine's recent coverage of Lateisha's story. When we first began working with Lateisha's family after her death last year, they asked us to help ensure that her death would not be in vain, and that people would learn something from their tragic loss. We're very proud - and Lateisha's family is very proud - that Essence has chosen to feature Lateisha's story. Essence occupies a special place in the hearts of millions of Black women. Since it was launched in 1970, Essence has become a cultural institution in the African-American community. By speaking out about Lateisha's story, Lateisha's family is connecting with audiences that might otherwise never have heard about her life or death as a transgender woman. From the Associated Press to the Los Angeles Times, and now to Essence, Lateisha's story is touching the hearts and minds of millions of people who probably knew very little about the continuing violence that affects the daily lives of transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual people. We're grateful to Lateisha's family for speaking out, and we're grateful to our friends at GLAAD, whose expertise helped to keep this story alive for millions of people.

If you're not familiar with Lateisha's story, you can learn about it by reading the following articles and blog postings on our web site. They're chock full of information, photos and videos, and we think they're well worth your time:

The Lateisha Green Murder: Violence Against Transgender People Resource Kit (4 pages);
The Lateisha Green Murder Trial: Sunday Blog Post;
The Lateisha Green Murder Trial: Monday Blog Post;
The Lateisha Green Murder Trial: Tuesday Blog Post;
The Lateisha Green Murder Trial: Wednesday Blog Post;
The Lateisha Green Murder Trial: Thursday Blog Post;
The Lateisha Green Murder Trial: Final Trial Blog Post;
and
TLDEF Statement On Verdict In Lateisha Green Trial.

Show Your SupportPlease continue to send personal notes of encouragement to Lateisha’s family during this difficult time. You can email correspondence by clicking here. We can't guarantee the family will be able to reply to your emails, but we know that they'll read them and that they appreciate everyone's support. Please write!

Stay InformedFor final updates from the sentencing, stay tuned to all of the following sources:our website;TLDEF on Twitter;the “Justice for Teish” Facebook page; andGLAAD on Twitter.

As a final note, thank you for your support of the work we've been doing on this case. Your notes of encouragement motivate us to pursue our work for equal rights. We always welcome your input, and encourage you to continue to contact us. Thank you.

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression, and to achieving equality for transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, community organizing and public policy efforts.

Slaughter of IRAQ Gay and Transgender Unchallenged Human Rights Watch

August 17, 2009 the Human Rights Watch (HRW) published "They Want Us Exterminated" Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq

AP Press Human Rights Watch: Iraqi gays tortured and killed

"BAGHDAD (AP) -- Militiamen are torturing and killing gay Iraqi men with impunity in a systematic campaign that has spread from Baghdad to several other cities, a prominent human rights group said in a report."

"Murders are committed with impunity, admonitory in intent, with corpses dumped in garbage or hung as warnings on the street," the 67-page report said.

"Reliable numbers weren't available, Human Rights Watch said, blaming a combination of the failure of authorities to investigate such crimes and the stigma preventing families from reporting the deaths. But it cited a well-informed U.N. official as saying in April that the death toll was probably "in the hundreds."

Russian Punk Rock Band PTVP Rage's Alone Against The Machine

In modern day Russia all dissent has been quashed. Human Rights activists shot dead with a single small caliber round quietly dropping them within a mile of Red Square.



All except PTVP (the Last Tanks in Paris) of Saint Petersburg who's lyrics shout for the freedoms once tasted and so cruelly stolen by Putin.

On the web

Russian punk rockers rage against the Putin machine

Twitter RT @queah1 "Let the human mind loose. It must be loose. It will be loose. Superstition and dogmatism cannot confine it." ~John Adams