Torso found in Detroit identified as missing transgender teen

[Felix]

Josh Katzenstein/ The Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/article/20111110/METRO01/111100495/Torso-found-in-Detroit-identified-as-missing-transgender-teen

Detroit— The Wayne County Medical Examiner's office has confirmed the death of 19-year-old Shelley Hilliard, a transgender teen also known as Treasure, after her mother identified her torso this morning.

The teen, who was born Henry Hilliard, went missing in the early hours of Oct. 23 and was last seen on the 900 block of Longfellow on Detroit's west side.

The Medical Examiner's office received her torso later on Oct. 23, and Lyniece Nelson, Hilliard's mother, identified her this morning.

[Venus-Castina]

all the us trans murders were in black communities.

Gwen Araujo?
Brandon?
Barry Winchell?


Violence and hatred is not limited to a single shade of our species.

[Annah]

The deaths seem to occur in the black community. Not being racist...But all the us trans murders were in black communities.

Idania Sevilla, Briget Makaligton, Krissy Bates, Fergie Alice, Priscila Brandao, Shakira Harahap, Didem, Gaby,Gwen Araujo, Brandon, Barry Winchell, Ramazan Cetin, and Jessica Rollon were all murdered in non black communities this year.

[Felix]

I don't know whose side I'm supporting, but I just want to point out that many of my friends are mixed race and do not identify with a particular community of color or ethnicity. We're all pretty messed up, and those of us who exhibit major differences (whether skin color or anything else) tend to be at the bottom of the pecking order.

[Zaria]

My heart goes out to her mother... I can't imagine how tough this is for her. 

- Hugs
Zaria

[Flan]

never assume about where victims came from was the cause least one try to blame the victim for being born a certain way (ethnicity).

[Mahsa Tezani]

never assume about where victims came from was the cause least one try to blame the victim for being born a certain way (ethnicity).

I'm not. I am just talking statistics here.

I went to the TDoR and it was just what I saw there. So maybe I'm wrong..

[tekla]

Well African-Americans are subject to much higher rates of violent crime, so that could play into it.  Detroit had 308 homicides last year, that's something to celebrate because that's down 15.4% from the year before.

[emoxon]

What racist rubbish. In what way is blaming black people or other ethnic minorities going to help? Frankly I could use the same sentiment and say that most trans murders (in the 1st world at least) are in the USA, and that would be no more useful. I mean there are far less trans murders in the UK, does that mean that all Americans are 'extremely homophobic and often have hyper masculine roles'? There are many contributing factors to why ethnic minority areas have a higher level of crime, for example: poverty, unemployment, economic segregation. To simply infer that black people are in someway less accepting than white people is racist plain and simple.

[emoxon]

Okay, you being trans should go walk around the ghetto for awhile... I am sure they'll welcome you and ask you to "get down" with them.

Some white people aren't accepting, they are more tolerant. Some Blacks by far will tell you off if they know what you are. You weren't "->-bleeped-<- bashed" twice by young black men. I was... You weren't harassed by them at work... I was.

Ok so because people you have been threatened by were black then that's proof that black people are transphobic? Sorry that ain't good enough. I've been threatened by white people and black people, so does that proof that you're wrong? Not only have I walked 'in the ghetto' as you put it, but I have lived in the poorest areas of London, in communities that were either predominantly black or muslim and I found them some of the safest most accepting areas to live in. Racism is not ok, and your comments are simply offensive.

[Mahsa Tezani]

Ok so because people you have been threatened by were black then that's proof that black people are transphobic? Sorry that ain't good enough. I've been threatened by white people and black people, so does that proof that you're wrong? Not only have I walked 'in the ghetto' as you put it, but I have lived in the poorest areas of London, in communities that were either predominantly black or muslim and I found them some of the safest most accepting areas to live in. Racism is not ok, and your comments are simply offensive.

No, but it was back when I was a gay man.

Seriously, go to Detroit or something. I am not saying all blacks are like that, many of them aren't. I have many black friends. But the parts of the community is much more violent towards gays/trans.

[Mahsa Tezani]

White people are just as homophobic and hyper masculine. You can't say that one group has more of these qualities than the other one does. Having lived around honkies for my entire life I can say with absolute honesty that white people scare the hell out of me.

I'm white, by the way.

Go move to Detroit then. Have fun there!

[Mahsa Tezani]

No, that's okay.

I had enough experience running from people when I would visit my relatives in the ghettos of Louisville.

I live near Oakland.

I wish I was back in the Castro. It was at least safe there..except for problems I caused.

[emoxon]

I am not saying all blacks are like that, many of them aren't. I have many black friends. But the parts of the community is much more violent towards gays/trans.

'I'm not a racist but..' funny how only bigots use that expression. Just because you are trans is no excuse to attack other people because of the colour of their skin, sexuality or gender. There are also very transphobic groups of white people, this doesn't mean white people in general are moe disposed to be transphobic.

Go move to Detroit then. Have fun there!

You really are ignorant. I don't need to go to Detroit to know you are talking rubbish. London by the way has very large groups of ethnic minorities, as well as large amounts of poverty. I lived in Brixton and Whitechapel, both places that have a reputation for poverty, and like I said I never had any trouble living there.

[HelenW]

Mentioning skin color with respect to the increased crime that poor and minority neighborhoods experience is not particularly helpful.  The trans women of color who are in the majority of those who are murdered because of who they are fall into these victim categories more because of poverty and subcultural norms, not because their skin is darker than others'.

This discussion could have been enlightening but it has gone off the rails.  This topic is locked.