Categorized | Crime
Spread the word about the murder of Lateisha Green
by SurferKit
Posted on 02 July 2009 | 7:32 pm 
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From The New Gay
Lateisha Green was a vivacious, loving 22-year-old, African American transitioning transwoman living in Syracuse, NY. Unlike many young transpeople, Teish was accepted by her family. She was very close to her mom and siblings, including her 18-year-old gay brother, Mark.
On the evening of November 14, 2008, Teish and Mark received a call from a friend telling them about a house party not far from where they lived. After they arrived in their car, many (but not all) guests at the party started shouting homophobic/transphobic insults at them, mostly about their sexual orientation. Teish and Mark were stunned as they sat in the front seat of the car.
One of the people shouting insults, Dwight DeLee, a 20-year-old man they didn’t know, is alleged to have approached the car with a .22 rifle and shot once at Teish and Mark. Mark, in the driver’s seat, got a surface wound, but the bullet passed through to Teish and hit her in the chest. Mark was able to drive to the hospital as Teish was dying. They told each other they loved one another. Teish was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The trial of Dwight DeLee is coming up on July 13 in Syracuse. It will be tried with a hate crime attachment, although in a cruel twist, Teish will be referred to by her birth name, Moses Cannon, because the NY State hate crime statute only covers crimes against sexual orientation, not gender expression or identity. In a sense, Teish will have her transwoman identity stripped away from her. The generally conservative Syracuse media has repeatedly referred to Teish as a “man” and used her birth name and male pronouns even though, in her life, she identified as a transsexual woman and everyone referred to her as Teish and used female pronouns when referring to her.
Sadly, this case has received a minimal amount of media coverage both within the LGBT community and mainstream media. It is every bit as important a hate crime as those perpetrated against Matthew Shephard and Gwen Araujo but, sadly, most of the numerous murders against African-American transwomen (and there were many such murders in 2008) tend to be under-reported, often unsolved and under-prosecuted.
This outrage cannot continue and our community cannot allow Teish’s murder to be swept under the rug. I’ve created a Facebook site to publicize the case, the trial and as a memorial to Teish’s life. I welcome all of you to join it and to spread the word in the two weeks we have left before the trial begins. You can reach the site by clicking here or you can Google “Justice for Teish.”
I’m posting this because I didn’t know about Lateisha Green’s story until today. If I’m in the dark about this, then maybe there are others out there who are as well. Plus, like everything else, the right wing is actively fighting the hate crimes legislation. Some conservative groups, like the Traditional Values Coalition and American Family Association have warned that “the bill will muzzle religious leaders from discussing parts of the Bible that deal with homosexuality and that the bill would create a special protection for pedophiles and those who commit similar crimes.”
To no one’s surprise Factcheck.org analyzed the bill and found no such possibility. In fact, the bill simply expands “the federal hate crimes statute to crimes ‘in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that is the object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person.’”
It’s odd that Republicans are perceived to be tough on crime, unless of course they don’t particularly like or agree with the victim.
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(Report comment)
Hate has no limits
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Here you go Noch. I think Leteisha would have wanted to Rock the Casbah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkfHShATKY
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July 3rd, 2009 at 12:26 am
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Thanks kit! Here is another Clash tune… “Guns Of Brixton” about being willing to stand up for your rights and standing up against oppression. Rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bA1hYNMi74
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July 3rd, 2009 at 6:53 am
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Great Song! Thanks so much for posting this story, Kit. My condolences to Leteisha’s friends and families.
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Whoever got the picture to show up thank you.
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Maggie Longmire’s kick ass voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Z8bezzRY0
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Good point about how the perception is that the right is somehow always tougher on crime when they’re fighting tooth and nail against any kind of hate crimes legislation.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:18 pm
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The thing is… DeLee is charged with second degree murder.
The guy made homophobic slurs, walked off to get a gun, then returned and opened fire on the car in which Letisha and her brother were in.
A charge of second degree murder is wrong, IMO.
Worth mentioning is the fact that DeLee committed this crime while on parole and the DA added the hate crime which will likely add to the sentence as well, so it’s highly unlikely he will be leaving prison anytime in the near future.
But to me the guy should be getting the max.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:30 pm
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At least they got the hate crime in there to add to his sentence. But I totally agree, he should have been charged with first degree murder because he went back and got the rifle. In other words, he planned to come back.
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July 3rd, 2009 at 5:45 am
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No kidding, it’s unquestionable murder one, and it’s simply ridiculous for the courts and the press to not recognize her gender identity.
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July 3rd, 2009 at 5:49 am
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Yes — and I’m curious about the house party itself — evidently, the people at the party _knew_ she was coming and “many of the guests” started shouting hate-filled comments — and Lateisha hadn’t even gotten out of the car. There might be something else going on here.
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I think Lateisha needs remembering with some music.
Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crOZztg90qA
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:38 pm
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Indeed she does… lovely pick
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 pm
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A friend shared this with me some time back. It seems appropriate.
Lady Starlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eej3X0a-DCM
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 pm
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I have never heard that before… the lyrics are so sad, but pretty..
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:47 pm
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I loved it!!! Freddie and I are soulmates. He was someone who should have lived FOREVER!!!
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 pm
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Then let’s roll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxbFLYa0_bw
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:59 pm
(Report comment)
Thank you!!!
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:56 pm
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I heart everything Queen. I bawled when Freddie died.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:45 pm
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I love Queen. Many years ago Kibbs and I did a talent show to a montage of Queen music. We got a standing O.
we
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(Report comment)
Great thanks for posting this important story, kit. There are so many hate crimes in the news lately, but I’m sure it’s only a fraction of the actual number that occur on a daily basis.
To me, one of the saddest elements of the issue is that hate is learned.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:00 pm
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I have a picture of her I uploaded but I can’t get the image to show up. I obviously did something wrong.
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(Report comment)
You are doing God’s work.
I thank you
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(Report comment)
Thank you for giving her a voice…
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July 2nd, 2009 at 9:38 pm
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I wish people would just accept others for what and who they are.
I always think about how easily it is to love and how much energy it takes to hate. I wonder how many people, how many parents, could look at their baby or child right now and consider they might have a gay child or a transgender child already and not even know it.
How could they look at that baby or small child and consider not loving them because they happen to be gay or transgender?
It simply doesn’t make sense to me.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
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I am glad it doesn’t make sense to you. It doesn’t make sense at all.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 pm
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It depends on the culture and environment one is raised in. It can be a lot easier to hate than to love if the heavy influence of your childhood culture has gotten you to swallow homophobia unquestioningly, like mother’s milk. In such cases, the energy must be devoted to challenging and discarding such benighted beliefs. Many people, the vast majority I would suppose, are neither disposed nor intellectually robust enough to expend that energy.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
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That’s sad. I couldn’t imagine growing up like that.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
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When one is, it becomes risky, in a sense, to open your heart and reach for understanding. You receive cues, easily understood, from your peers and guardians, that you yourself will be suspect. So this stupid young man was out to prove something about himself. He would rather be thought of as a Cold Blooded Killer than someone with even a shred of acceptance for that which his culture condemns. This alone is a really stunning thing to consider.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 pm
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ygm forum
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:27 pm
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You, my friend, are smart!
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 pm
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He is that.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:40 pm
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 pm
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does best Cowardly Lion imitation
“Shucks, folks, I’m speechless!”
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:34 pm
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pssst… there is a 4th of July concert by Paul McCartney from DC playing on wolfgangsvault.com I don’t know what year it is from but I know you like him : )
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:42 pm
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Thanks, Noch! Actually, I’m not that much of a Macca fan. I just think he has an extraordinary talent for catchy tunes. I wasn’t listing my favorite artists yesterday, just the ones I think who established the formula for the modern pop song.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 11:51 pm
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Oh…
If you are not familiar with the site it is really cool with tons of music. I get an email every week with their featured concerts and that was on the list and I thought of you. Last week they did the Clash!!!!! Big yay for me!
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July 3rd, 2009 at 12:06 am
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Thanks for the tip!
Rudie Can’t Fail!
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July 3rd, 2009 at 12:30 am
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You are quite welcome… and you can add the Clash to the list of most excellent song writers. People would be surprised by the range of music they do.
Love the reggae stuff! Sandinista!
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:12 pm
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I don’t understand how you can learn to hate people you don’t even know…
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July 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
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“You have to be carefully taught”
South Pacific
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 pm
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Take heart. We parents of today, would never dream of teaching anything of the sort.
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July 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 am
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I wish you were right, Luv…
But there’s a whole lot of hate being spread from parent to child all across this country.
Some of it is subtle, which may be the most dangerous kind ’cause it sneaks around under the cover of acceptable camouflage while it eats away at the soul of our society.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
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Thankfully I don’t understand it either, and I feel lucky I wasn’t raised to hate people because they were different.
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(Report comment)
This sounds too much like Gwen’s story. She was also lured to her death the exact same way. It is sad we did not hear this story, but just like black women/girls who disappear, you are rarely going to hear about a young trans being murdered
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July 2nd, 2009 at 9:19 pm
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The thing that gets me is if you listen to all the wingers talk against hate crimes legislation you would think that these crimes rarely happen. Yet, just today we learned about the death of August Provost.
To deny these murders are hate crimes, once again, affirms that wingers live in an alternate universe from the rest of us.
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