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LSJ.com


->-bleeped-<- murder victim's mother pleads for someone to come forward


1:28 PM, Feb. 20, 2012 

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120220/NEWS01/302200005/->-bleeped-<--murder-victim-s-mother-pleads-someone-come-forward?odyssey=nav (http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120220/NEWS01/302200005/-%3E-bleeped-%3C--murder-victim-s-mother-pleads-someone-come-forward?odyssey=nav)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcmsimg.lansingstatejournal.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcsi.dll%2Fbilde%3FSite%3DA3%26amp%3BDate%3D20120220%26amp%3BCategory%3DNEWS01%26amp%3BArtNo%3D302200005%26amp%3BRef%3DAR%26amp%3BMaxW%3D300%26amp%3BBorder%3D0%26amp%3B-%253E-bleeped-%253C--murder-victim-s-mother-pleads-someone-come-forward&hash=72ab97622239b86a2234fd65ef749a9470f04774)
Anthony "Nikki" Nicholas / Submitted photo
 

Alfreda Nicholas still sees her son lying dead on a gurney, looking as though someone had "thrown him away like a dog."

The 55-year-old Detroit mother said she was ordered her not to touch her son, Anthony Nicholas, who was found shot to death in an abandoned farmhouse in Green Oak Township nine years ago tomorrow.

E-mail sent to Author of this article at the Lansing State Journal;

QuoteSandra Turner
   
1:13 AM (0 minutes ago)
      
to Irchurch
Dear Ms. Church,

Thank you for the article concerning Nikki Nicholas. In regards to the use of the word ->-bleeped-<- in describing Nikki, this is probably not an accurate word to use in this case. Recently an article was published in the "dcist" blog on By Benjamin R. Freed in News on February 3, 2012 at 1:30 pm;
Transgender Person Dies After Being Stabbed at Bus Stop

http://dcist.com/2012/02/transgender_woman_dies_after_stabbi.php (http://dcist.com/2012/02/transgender_woman_dies_after_stabbi.php)


In that article the author referred to the Transgendered Woman that was stabbed as "man dressed as a woman", and later "struck out" the comment and posted another blog entry citing the AP Style Book;

The AP Stylebook is relatively clear on the issue: "Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the oposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly." In this case, saying "she was stabbed" and "she died" would have been accurate. -
Editorial Comment: Coming to Terms

By Martin Austermuhle on Feb 3, 2012   http://mobile.dcist.com/2012/02/editorial_comment_terms.php (http://mobile.dcist.com/2012/02/editorial_comment_terms.php)

Although Nikki's Mother still refers to her as her "Son", only once in the article did I note the use of "she" in reference to Nikki, and that was by her Mother.

My point being, that ->-bleeped-<- is not the same as Transgendered or Transsexual, and that you noted in the article that Nikki had lived as a Woman for two years prior to her death. I do not believe you meant any disrespect to the memory of Nikki Nicholas, the fact that you resurrected this "cold case" nine years later is evident of respect to her.

As a Transgendered/Transsexual Woman myself, I am painfully aware of the violence towards TG/TS Women, and especially TG/TS Women of Color and of Hispanic/Latino descent. I hope sharing this observation with you might prove useful in the use of "gender specific pronouns" in future articles that you might write.

Sincerely,

SandraJane

Very nice Sandra Jane.

If you get a reply please post it.

Hugs Honey

Cindy

Thank You Cindy!

I will!

Hugz <3

SJ

I agree, well done Sandra and nice email.

Well here's an update on the e-mail I sent to the author of this article...it was "kicked back" to me as undeliverable. :P So...I posted it to Lansing Journal's Facebook page @;

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/comments/article/20120220/NEWS01/302200005/->-bleeped-<--murder-victim-s-mother-pleads-someone-come-forward (http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/comments/article/20120220/NEWS01/302200005/-%3E-bleeped-%3C--murder-victim-s-mother-pleads-someone-come-forward)

SandraJane