Monday, April 25, 2011

That's a tricky little intersection

You all may have heard about the horrible beating of a white
transwoman at a McDonalds by 2 African American women. Let me start by
saying it's an atrocious act to inflict violence on someone because of
their gender, or your percieved notions of their gender.
But I have to wonder if this is getting so much attention because the
attackers are black and the victim is white. Does the racial make up
make it easier for us good white folk to sit back and tssk tssk the
actions of these violent black women? Does it feed into established
stereotypes and make it okay to talk about?
Would it be getting this much attention if it were 2 white women
beating a black trans woman (and I hate having to include the trans
part in that description, the victim is a woman. And if I were writing
about her for any other reason, trans wouldn't be needed. But she was
attacked because of her trans-ness, so it's part of the story) or 2
white men doing the beating to a black body, would anyone even care?
Sadly, probably not.

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