December 27, 2011 
Brittany Novotny

Opinion: Being #Trans Does Not Justify Violence #LGBT #GLBT

http://brittanynovotny.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/opinion-being-trans-does-not-justify-violence-lgbt-glbt/

There is a video going viral on the internet today, particularly in the trans community, that shows a transwoman in New York City reacting to a man in the subway after he yelled out, "That's a man!" as the woman walked past him.  She runs him down and begins to physically assault and batter the man.  (Note: I'm intentionally not embedding the video, but you can click the link if you wish to see it).

Because of my visibility in the trans community, I feel like this is a moment where I must share my opinion.  I have gone through points in my life where I felt bullied and degraded by the world, so I can fully understand the sentiment that would make one feel justified in lashing out like this woman in NYC.  However, it is neither legally nor morally justifiable to react to someone's words with violence.