COWboy/girl UP.

[tekla]

You know what that means?  That means when the horse (or bull) puts your little butt in the dirt, and your entire body is hurting like you took a body punch from the Hulk, you do what?  You get back on and ride.

You know the old Sweet song?  The Boys are Back in Town?  What's it say?
If the boys are gonna' fight, you better let 'em.

We are killing people, some of which are the best of our own.  They are not people who wasted their life doing dope, or jacking off, or trading sex for drugs,  but chose, instead to serve this nation. And I for one, respect that.  But, as a member of the nation that sent them, (considered by some a democratic state) I think they better be dying for the right, not the wrong reasons.

So, discussion about how, why, and what they are dying for, is all our our business, particularly when some of us are posting that they are considering it. 

It could be, that the murders in New Mexico were because they were hookers - not just because they were trans, trans, trans.  After all, many of our finest serial killers targeted prostitutes because no one cares about them - which in part, is why they were doing that in the first place.  (in the second place, because they didn't care much about themselves either, which is what got them there.)

Could be that people who are spouting silly notions about other cultures are just dead wrong, and that ought to be hung out to dry too.

I see kids from the 'burbs (often dressed like some the FtMs in here seem to like) in that 'thuglette' wear, get down to the mean streets and think they are cool.  Takes about 1/2 a block before they find out how tough - or not tough for the most part - they really are. I don't lift a finger to help them.  But the sweet girls, and couples coming in, they are protected.  Not everyone is worth the same effort.

[Nero]

I'm not sure what you're getting at, but discussions on whether it was someone's fault they were murdered were not appropriate here and hardly fodder for a support site.

[Mister]

Tekla, I once brought a kid straight off the farm in rural Georgia and brought him to visit a friend of mine in Oakland at 98th & Int'l.  Took him five minutes before he wanted to leave.  Wish I had a video camera that day...

[tekla]

Au contraire, mon frère, its exactly what we ought to be talking about. RISKY BEHAVIOR.  We have people on here who are considering this course of action, and they ought to at least know, that death is not an unreal possibility.  Risk might equal reward on Wall Street, but in real life, it just equals risk, and like people who do extreme sports, or drug addicts, or thrill junkies, sooner or later that number comes up, and when it does, so what?

Sad (or happy in my opinion) I care a lot more about some nice girl, with a good GPA, and promise in some way dies than when one more junkie takes one too many shots, or gets AIDS from infected needles, or gets killed in some dope deal gone wrong, or any of that.  Not all human lives are of equal value in the end - though they may well be in some esoteric sense.

Back when Gwen died in the Bay Area a lot of us were very sad, if only because she didn't seek out the help and support of the community, who would have told her - in no uncertain terms - not to engage in that kind of behavior.  Not that it was wrong (and perhaps it was) but that it was very, very dangerous, and at the moment it all went wrong (and that moment always happens) there would be no one there to protect her.  And, at that point, she would be hit in the head with a garden tool, shoved into a trunk and buried in a shallow grave - not that she deserved it, but because no one told her any better.

[Nero]

That point has some merit but there's a fine line between blaming the victim and educating.

[Michelle.]

Kat, nice piece of writing.

Just my thoughts in random order.

1. Theres at least two sides to every story
2. Not every member of the GLBT community is a saint or paragon of virtue.
3. We live in a democracy. In the sense that every few years we vote on the general direction of the country.
4. Certain choices in life. Clubbing, drug use, prostitution, showing "bling" on an urban street late at nite etc etc have potential consequences. Sometimes deadly.
5. Some members are more "stable" than others.
6. Bigotry, intolerance and racism are alive (and bad) here as well.

I could go on, but I believe that any readers of my post should be getting the general idea.

Time for me to go kill myself, slowly, again.  I have got to quit smoking.

Mich'

[Alyssa M.]

And what about the nice girl with a good GPA and lots of promise who gets into a ->-bleeped-<-ty situation ONE TIME? What about the poor nadle who grew up on the Rez in a supportive family (by which I mean third cousins and all closer relatives) but practically no access to education, and gets beaten to death for kicks by some belagana rednecks? Because that's the kind of story I've heard.

Sometimes bad choices are made for you, and you don't have much or any control.

And remember: ANY time ANYBODY murders ANYONE, the choice to commit murder is the worst choice in the entire scenario.

[Syne]

True that some risky behavior should be avoided. Things like be careful who you are screwing and making sure to out yourself for the right reasons and at the right time.

Also true that not all humans live up to their potential or even a fraction of it. Part of the deal, not everyone can go the distance and their reasons (excuses) are many. Not too much we can do but try and show them the way or, should they go down the path of lawlessness, lock 'em up.

Yes, we all have choices to make in our lives. I choose to do some "extreme sports". I have met those who can no longer do so due to injuries sustained while playing. One is in a wheelchair, probably for life. But I still do it because I choose to live my life, my way. When I go clubbing I am aware of the risks and minimize those that I can but just going out the door can be a risk these days.

And yes, we do need to be there to raise warning flags for those too dumb, too close to a situation, or just too blind to see that what they are doing can lead to disaster. I have met the young T girls who look like a million bucks, are pre-op and do stupid crap like hitchhike home.

[lisagurl]

What about the poor nadle who grew up on the Rez in a supportive family (by which I mean third cousins and all closer relatives) but practically no access to education, and gets beaten to death for kicks by some belagana rednecks?

Sometimes bad choices are made for you, and you don't have much or any control.

What about people who have a lot less resources love and ability to get an education such as 1/3 of India's population or children in Africa dieing at the rate of 5000 a day due to no access to clean water? It seems that there is selective compassion and discrimination that is not based on facts but just on bigotry and self promotion.