Sunday, February 24, 2008

Hate Crimes Laws

This is why I support hate crimes legislation.
Because oftentimes, people don't kill minorities just because of a mugging or a disagreement or whatever.
No...they kill us so we can't stand up.
So we will kill ourselves for them.
So we will remember our place is under their boots.

Read my last few posts and the posts I've linked to.
What do they say?
Are you listening?

I gorram know it could happen to me (though it's less likely as I am white and on the ftm spectrum as opposed to the mtf spectrum), I work about an hours walk from my boyfriend's dorm and I usually get out of work at midnight. And only a few friends have cars and they can't always pick me up and I feel horrible for asking them all the time.
And no matter what I do I can't pass as straight.
People either misgender me as a butch lesbian or they see me as a young queer boy.

Every murder--from Gwen to Simmie to Brandon to Lawrence--reminds me that I or any one of us could be next.
And I don't feel this way about muggings or car accidents or even hold ups.
Every one of those murders was a hate crime--a clear message that I am not a person and they will do whatever it fucking takes to make me and those like me remember that.

3 comments:

Dw3t-Hthr said...

I sometimes wonder if hate crime stuff would be less controversial if people used an alternate phrasing -- given that they are, basically, acts of terrorism, intended to keep members of the targetted group too fearful to risk being the next target.

Drakyn said...

Hmm... I think that's really true, I hadn't thought of it like that before, thanks.

Anonymous said...

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