Unfinished Lives

Remembering LGBT Hate Crime Victims

Zapata tragedy unites community against hate

According to an article published this week in the Greeley Tribune, the tragedy of Angie Zapata’s hate-crime murder in mid-July has unified family, friends, advocacy groups, and supporters to condemn intolerance.

Gathering together on August 10th, over two-hundred people remembered Angie Zapata and celebrated her life and gender identity.

Kelly Costello, director of victim services for the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, said all people, despite their differences, deserve to live without fear. Remarks made by transgender activist Donna Rose underscored Costello’s comments: “It takes courage to live in a world that tries to force you into a box,” she said.

Zapata’s murder has also invoked the memory of other hate-crime victims, including Matthew Shepard. According to the article, “One person read a note from Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed near Laramie, Wyo., in 1998 because he was gay.”

Also in attendance at the Saturday vigil were Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, and other lawmakers and community activists.

Monica Zapata, Angie’s sister, also spoke at the vigil. “She always knew she was supposed to be a girl. And we knew it too,” she said. “Don’t remember her as transgendered but remember her as a beautiful, loving woman.”

Monica also said, “You are who you are and you should never be ashamed.”

August 15, 2008 Posted by | Colorado, Latino and Latina Americans, Politics, Remembrances, transgender persons | , , , | Comments Off on Zapata tragedy unites community against hate

Justin “Angie” Zapata murdered in Colorado hate crime

Teenager Justin “Angie” Zapata was found dead in her Greeley, Colorado, apartment on July 17, the apparent victim of an anti-LGBT hate crime.  Zapata, who was 18 years old, sustained wounds to the head and face with a fire extinguisher.

Kelly Costello, director of victim services at the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, served as Zapata’s family’s spokesperson and said this is not the first time transgendered persons have been targeted by violent crimes in Colorado. “It’s frightening but not necessarily surprising,” Costello said. “It does send out a ripple effect and lets everyone know how vulnerable they are.” Costello’s remarks appeared in a Denver Post article on July 25.

According to a July 31 Associated Press article, Zapata’s killer, 20-year-old Allen Ray Andrade, made remarks showing he did not afford his victim the status of a full human being. While speaking to investigators about his involvement in the hate crime, Andrade referred to Zapata as an “it”. Andrade said that after hitting his victim twice in the head with a fire extinguisher, he thought he had “killed it.”

Responding to the suspect’s remarks, Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner said he felt disgusted by the comment. “It’s a horrible thing to say.”

After reading about her sister’s killer, Monica Murguia, told Denver’s KDVR-TV that Andrade deserved to remain behind bars forever. “He took a part of our heart, he did, when he killed her.”

August 1, 2008 Posted by | Bludgeoning, Colorado, Hate Crimes, Latino and Latina Americans, Perpetrators of Hate Crime, transgender persons | , , , , | 3 Comments

As Ebony Whitaker laid to rest, hate crime concerns continue in Memphis

According to a July 8 Out & About Newspaper article, the murder of transgender woman Ebony (Rodney) Whitaker has raised concerns about anti-gay violence in Memphis, Tennessee.  As Whitaker’s body was laid to rest on Monday, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) called upon the Memphis Police Department to be more responsive when it comes to crimes committed against the transgender community.

Whitaker’s murder is considered the latest in a string of violent crimes against transgendered persons in Memphis.  TTPC president Marisa Richmond said that the unsolved murder of Tiffany Berry and the police beating of Duanna Johnson point to an unacceptable trend of violence.  “The lack of response by the Memphis Police Department,” says Richmond, “has set a tone in the community that the lives of transgender people, especially African-American, are irrelevant.”

 

Watch the video of Duanna Johnson’s beating by Memphis Police in February.

 

For more information about Ebony (Rodney) Whitaker, read a related article at the Memphis Eyewitness News website.

July 11, 2008 Posted by | African Americans, Hate Crimes, police brutality, Tennessee, transgender persons | , , , , | 1 Comment

Murdered transgendered woman a possible hate crime victim

Memphis police are investigating the death of Rodney Whitaker, age 20, an African American transgendered woman who was found on July 1, 2008, in Memphis, Tennessee.

While police are currently investigating the circumstances of the crime, says Tennessee Equality Project President Christopher Sanders, there is reason to believe that Whitaker’s murder was a hate crime fueled by “transphobia.”

Whitaker’s murder is the latest in a string of hate crimes against the Memphis transgender community.  This week’s murder follows the February 16 murder of African American transgendered woman, Tiffany Berry.

Read the original article at the Out & About online newspaper.

Read a related article at the Memphis Eyewitness News website.

July 3, 2008 Posted by | African Americans, Hate Crimes, Tennessee, transgender persons | , , , | Comments Off on Murdered transgendered woman a possible hate crime victim

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