The more I learn about 'plea' deals the more it becomes apparent, minorities strike plea deals admitting to a crime to reduce the penalty from outrageous to unreasonable, all others 'plea' to escape judgement and if the truth remains censored, If the victims are forced to remain silent injustice will be served. Judge McDonald, we refuse to be silenced. I refuse to be silent.

Savannah Dietrich, 17 Year Old Raped and Facing Jail Time For Talking About It.

***** Update 7/23/2012...Contempt charges against Savannah Dietrich have been dropped according to the AP. The rapist's lawyers deny public outrage influenced their decision however, they recognized that had they not dropped the charges the rapists would not have been able to hide behind their minor status as adults because their names would have become public domain.
The petition author Elizabeth Beier was interviewed by the AP in that article recognizing the Power of social media.

We are that power.

****************

I only learned of Savannah Dietrich's story by chance, happening across a unattributed single post Tumblr page tittled She Who Loves The Rain.

Savannah's Facebook Profile and Twitter accounts are protected, save for the hashtag #TEAMDEVIN listed on her Twitter account and a link to her Facebook. Following associated #TEAMDEVIN tweets brought me to this heart wrenching You tube. Going strictly by the information from the Tumblr page which appears to have been reblogged from the Huffington Post I will repost in full here because by all accounts she wants her story to be told in full.

*After reading this there is a petition you can sign at the bottom of the post.

I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living hell’: Teen faces jail time after lashing out on Twitter and naming the boys who sexually assaulted her17-year-old Savannah Dietrich named and shamed the boys on the social messaging site, writing: ‘There you go, lock me up. I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell.’

The Louisville, Kentucky teen told The Courier-Journal she was frustrated by what she feels is a lenient deal for her attackers.The Mail Online does not normally report the names of sexual assault victims, but Dietrich and her parents say they do not want to shield her identity and want her case to be public.

The boys’ attorneys have asked a judge to hold Dietrich in contempt for violating the confidentiality of a juvenile hearing and the judge’s order not to speak about it.Dietrich told the paper she was assaulted in August 2011 by two boys she knew when she passed out after drinking at a gathering. She learned months later that pictures of the assault were taken and shared with others.‘For months, I cried myself to sleep. I couldn’t go out in public places,’ she told the newspaper, as her father and attorneys sat nearby. ‘You just sit there and wonder, who saw (the pictures), who knows?’

Dietrich’s attorneys want her contempt hearing open to the media, arguing she has a First Amendment right to speak about her case and to a public hearing. The boys’ attorneys, however, have asked to keep the hearing closed. The contempt charge carries a possible sentence of 180 days in jail and a $500 fine. The boys pleaded guilty on June 26 to first-degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor voyeurism.

Dietrich says she was unaware of a plea agreement until just before it was announced in court. She could not say what the proposed punishment was because of the court order, but said she feels like it was a slap on the wrist. The teens are to be sentenced next month, and the judge could reject or modify the terms of the proposed agreement. When Judge Dee McDonald admonished everyone at the hearing not to speak about what happened in court or about the crime, Dietrich said she cried.‘They got off very easy … and they tell me to be quiet, just silencing me at the end,’ she said.

Afterwards Dietrich tweeted, ‘They said I can’t talk about it or I’ll be locked up. ….Protect rapist is more important than getting justice for the victim in Louisville.’

David Marburger, an Ohio media law specialist, said Dietrich should have tried to get the courts to vacate the gag order rather than simply violating it. But Gregg Leslie, interim executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said Dietrich should ‘not be legally barred from talking about what happened to her. That’s a wide-ranging restraint on speech.’ Leslie said this sort of issue is becoming more common.‘

In the past, people would complain to anyone who would listen, but they didn’t have a way to publish their comments where there would be a permanent record, like on Facebook and Twitter, for people to see worldwide,’ he said.Dietrich said she just needed to stand up for herself. ‘I’m at the point that if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it.’

Petition Judge Deana "Dee" McDonald, Louisville, KY: Drop charges against Savannah Dietrich

Make it Happen. Political Activism Training By Equality Texas

Attendees included two transgender people. Nikki Taylor, founder of the newly formed Fort Worth Transgender support group, bottom row second from the right, and of course myself sitting next to her in my T peep shirt grinning like a lunatic.

Most of my posts in recent years have been about gay.com or what a certain equality federation member misdeeds have been, but its time for me to come out of the transsexual menace closet.
I have been a member of and have participated in events with Equality Texas for years.

Equality federation members have a lot of latitude in how they approach equal rights issues and the methods they use to obtain that end. Sadly in the recent past some Equality Federation members have sacrificed public accommodations or at least tried to, on the alter of marriage equality or even worst, just for a feather in there caps.

Not so in Texas. In talking with Equality Texas Executive Director
Dennis Coleman at the class he reassured me the official position of Equality Texas remains unchanged regarding public accommodations.

In all reality this came as no suprise to me. Daniel Wiilams, the newly appointed field activist is one of the people I admire the most in the world and one our most impassioned allies.

So the class? It was fun, informative and energizing. Daniel travels nearly every weekend conducting these, focusing on getting to places which otherwise would have never had a LGBT political activism class, like colleyville, Texas.

I'm going to schedule a appointment with my districts Representative. It's time to make that change I want to see globally, happen locally.

What of your Equality Federation Member? What is their position on Public Accommodations?

Live in Texas and are interested in attending a political Activism Class?
Check out the where and when on the EQTX Event Calender

Contact Daniel Williams, EQTX Field Organizer for details at:

DanielWilliams@equalitytexas.org

Transsexual Genocide: Busting Transgender Refugees For having Condoms

The Human Rights Watch reports that US police practices are fueling the HIV epidemic. The thin shield of Latex is all that protects the most vulnerable of our society, refugee transgender sex workers from a death sentence.

Cites hand out millions of condoms and then the cops bust the very people who need them the most, using them as evidence in court people are prostituting themselves. I'm not defending a illegal activity that so often claims the lives of our community, but I will say this.

If the goverment wants transgender people dead they are getting there wish and doing it in a legally and socially acceptable way. AIDS/HIV to a refugee with no option other than sex work is a death warrant.



T House on Line writes

"New York City has pushed aggressively since 1971 for condom use distributing over more than 100 million free condoms, thus turning the NYC condom into a legendary icon with its own slogan, “NYC Condom: Get some!”. As technology has advanced over decades, access to condoms are now at the tip of the finger as now there is even an iPhone application that helps guide users to locate the nearest condom distribution site. Sadly enough, in this same time frame the NYPD has destroyed or confiscated thousands of condoms found in the possession of suspected workers in the sex/escort industry, using condom possession as a weapon to justify arrest.

It seems a little overwhelming as San Fransisco, New York city and Pittsburgh are currently using condoms as evidence so we must act locally taking one brick out of this wall.

There is currently legislation pending in the NY Assembly that would institute policies discontinuing this genocidal practice.

This legislation has repeatedly failed time and again due to lawmakers who delight in knowing they are responsible for murdering our family so they mist be identified for this to stop. We can advocate globally as a community and make A1008 pass this year. Please sign the petition "Tell New York State Legislators: Condoms Aren't a Crime!"