First, before anyone suggest I'm taking a "blame the victim" attitude, I'm not. I'm transgendered, and have spent far too much time as part of the GLBT community to not fully understand the pressures and implicit threats that all "gender outlaws" live under every single moment. This is a tragedy, and a travesty; and the individual who killed her deserves the chair.
But...
Angie Zapata was an idiot. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, or apologize for saying it. She was an idiot.
Not in a "She was totally asking for it" way; but in a "How could she have so completely failed to see this coming?" way. She had lived in this community, was familiar with it's people and their attitudes; and should have known what kind of reactions were likely, particularly considering how long she had been openly identifying as female. Okay, she should not necessarily have expected to be killed outright, but she certainly should have been aware of the very high risk of a violent confrontation. The moment she was asked about her gender, a huge red flag should have gone up. It should have been a clear warning signal.
I've seen this happen far too often. Far too many transgendered individuals work very hard at deluding themselves that the world will see them exactly as they see themselves, physical realities be damned. The convince themselves that if they believe hard enough, then everyone else will, too; despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. But the real world doesn't work that way. It's one thing to work to change misconceptions, stereotypes, and prejudices, to educate and enlighten others; quite aFirst, before anyone suggest I'm taking a "blame the victim" attitude, I'm not. I'm transgendered, and have spent far too much time as part of the GLBT community to not fully understand the pressures and implicit threats that all "gender outlaws" live under every single moment. This is a tragedy, and a travesty; and the individual who killed her deserves the chair.
But...
Angie Zapata was an idiot. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, or apologize for saying it. She was an idiot.
Not in a "She was totally asking for it" way; but in a "How could she have so completely failed to see this coming?" way. She had lived in this community, was familiar with it's people and their attitudes; and should have known what kind of reactions were likely, particularly considering how long she had been openly identifying as female. Okay, she should not necessarily have expected to be killed outright, but she certainly should have been aware of the very high risks of a violent physical confrontation. The moment she was asked about her gender, a huge red flag should have gone up.
I've seen this happen far too often. Far too many transgendered individuals work very hard at deluding themselves that the world will see them exactly as they see themselves, physical realities be damned. The convince themselves that if they believe hard enough, then everyone else will, too; despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. But the real world doesn't work that way. It's one thing to work to change misconceptions, stereotypes, and prejudices, to educate and enlighten others; quite another thing entirely to act as if prejudices simply don't exist. You can argue endlessly that "biology is not destiny", and that "what's between one's legs", and you may even be right; but when you get right down to the core of the matter, for the majority of people, these things do matter. Right or wrong, they do. Transgendered individuals are not even universally accepted among gays and lesbians (hell, bisexuals are not universally accepted); so how can one possibly expect to be unquestioningly accepted among the mainstream?
Brazenly springing this sort of thing on someone, particularly a complete stranger, without any warning whatsoever, at a moment when irrational physical responses greatly outweigh reason, is inviting disaster. It's stupid, and worse, it's manipulative and dishonest. She was pretending to be something that she, quite frankly, was not. Demanding tolerance in day to day life is valid, worthwhile, and something I fully believe in. Demanding it unconditionally in an intimate personal encounter is, at best, dangerously naive.
This was not an attempt to enlighten, to change attitudes toward transgendered individuals. This was the sexual equivalent of a Jackass stunt. This sort of thing doesn't just hurt the individual, it hurts all transgendered people. It perpetuates a negative stereotype, and makes life that much more difficult for those of us who are fully honest about what we are.nother thing entirely to act as if prejudices simply don't exist. You can argue endlessly that "biology is not destiny", and that "what's between one's legs", and you may even be right; but when you get right down to the core of the matter, for the majority of people, these things do matter. Right or wrong, they do. Transgendered individuals are not even universally accepted among gays and lesbians (hell, bisexuals are not universally accepted); so how can one possibly expect to be unquestioningly accepted among the mainstream?
Brazenly springing this sort of thing on someone, particularly a complete stranger, without any warning whatsoever, at a moment when irrational physical responses greatly outweigh reason, is inviting disaster. It's stupid, and worse, it's manipulative and dishonest. She was pretending to be something that she, quite frankly, was not. Demanding tolerance in day to day life is valid, worthwhile, and something I fully believe in. Demanding it unconditionally in an intimate personal encounter is, at best, dangerously naive. In the case of Zapata, I believe it went beyond mere naivete. Zapata had a criminal record, theft and fraud. Like Brandon Teena, Zapata was not exactly an innocent victim. She was an unpleasant person who used others. But in cases like these, that sort of history often gets ignored or whitewashed.
This was not an attempt to enlighten, to change attitudes toward transgendered individuals. This was the sexual equivalent of a Jackass stunt. This sort of thing doesn't just hurt the individual, it hurts all transgendered people. It perpetuates a negative stereotype, and makes life that much more difficult for those of us who are fully honest about what we are.
