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News & ArtsFriday, May 6, 2011
Crime SPD Recommends Harassment Charges For Man Who Punched Transgender Woman on Capitol Hill
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Fri, May 6, 2011 at 4:41 PM
This week's issue of Seattle Gay News breaks the story of a transgender woman—a recent Phoenix transplant named Kira Crowley—who was called a "faggot" and punched in the face by a stranger earlier this week on Capitol Hill. The SGN interviews the victim, who states that the encounter started this way: "I just smiled at him... then he punched me. There was no reason. We didn't interact." The Seattle Police Department is investigating this as a bias crime and has requested that harassment charges be brought against the suspect. In the meantime, I asked SPD for the report and found the victim's statements in the report to be slightly different than what she conveyed to SGN:
According to the report, the woman stated that she was walking down the sidewalk on May 2 near Bellevue Avenue and Pine Street when she noticed a man approaching in the opposite direction. According to the report, the woman told officers she smiled at the man and blew him a kiss.
In response, the man allegedly said, “There’s a faggot right there. I want to terminate people like them.” According to the victim, the man then punched her in the nose and boarded a metro bus headed downtown. The officer's report notes that the victim indeed had "a minor injury to the nose."
The officers broadcast the suspect's description, which led to the suspect being detained at 6th Avenue and Pine Street. After being positively identified by the victim, the suspect was transported to the East Precinct for questioning. There, the suspect admitted to punching the victim on her cheek but not without reason.
As the suspect tells it, he was walking down the sidewalk when the victim approached him and "physically kissed him on the cheek." The report notes that the suspect "did not admit to yelling anything." Questioning officers noted that suspect appeared to be both "intoxicated and disoriented," the report states.
I'm not trying to downplay what happened—clearly no one should be punched in the face or threatened with termination while walking down a city street, especially for blowing or delivering kisses. But given the seriousness of the charges, it's worth examining the nuances.
On a side note, according to SGN, the victim was "so impressed" with the professionalism exhibited by the Seattle police officers who took her statement. Good work, SPD.
1
It blew him a kiss? Sooooo, shim started it? I'm so confused. LOL! Naw, this is awful, and nothing justifies assault except beiber. Hope the victim recovers completely and doesn't look like a grampy in a pantsuit with a wig.
3
If a strange man kisses me uninvited I'm likely to punch him. Sorry if that's a problem for some of you elevated souls.
4
Terminate people like them!! That isn't harassment...
That is employment discrimination and they should be charged under RCW 49.60 the Washington Law Against Discrimination.
Gender identity is a protected class in this state.
That is employment discrimination and they should be charged under RCW 49.60 the Washington Law Against Discrimination.
Gender identity is a protected class in this state.
6
I don't think anyone ever in my life has blown me a kiss.
These transgender chicks are sounding better than the gender chicks most of whom are totally stuck up.
Case in point. I go to Starbucks and I see chick with a jacket that says DOG TRAINER in white block letters, like one of those FBI or ATF jackets.
So, she's standing at the stirring stick and napkin counter, and I wanted to get a napkin so she notices me and jumps out of the way and says "Go ahead!"
Throwing all experience with PNW chicks out the window, I decide to make the small witty joke that in all other parts of the known world will normally invite a small smile from a female. But not here.
Here's my joke: "Is that what you tell your dogs!?"
Here's the response: "What?" in steady, flat voice.
Of course the response is "What?"
Of course it's not like she's walking around with the words DOG TRAINER on her back -- waiting for a clever joke to be made. No. Why? Because it's the PNW where every word is taken as a literal truth, not to be mocked.
See, she's a dog trainer, so she walks around with a DOG TRAINER jacket. Why else!? In the PNW, life would in fact be easier if everyone did the same. How about an ACTUARY jacket. Then we'd all know.
See...no more puns or small jokes.
Would a transgender chick react in the same way. Maybe a transgender chick would do what one expects a female to do -- laugh, throw her hair or at least crack half a mocking smile.
7
Why is the dude only being charged with harassment? Punching someone is not harassment. Punching someone is assault.
And if dude appeared to be "intoxicated and disoriented," why wasn't he charged with drunk & disorderly or whatever?
SGN shitty reporting aside (nothing new there), I totally disagree with your assessment that SPD did a good job.
And if dude appeared to be "intoxicated and disoriented," why wasn't he charged with drunk & disorderly or whatever?
SGN shitty reporting aside (nothing new there), I totally disagree with your assessment that SPD did a good job.
8
@7 - Malicious Harassment is the "hate crime" version of assault. It's more serious than simple assault.
9
Wow couldn't even make it through the first comment without a TOTALLY FUNNY and APPROPRIATE "it" and "shim" joke and then followed with an assumption about her passability. Might as well quit trying to mask your intolerance with care for her safety and well being @1.
10
@6 Could be other signals you're sending her. Of course, there's plenty of entitlement coming from women but plenty of chauvinism coming from men. It's all a mixed bag and not really subject to generalization. Plenty of nice folks too.
But hey, try the trannies out. And for the record, prostitutes in the PNW don't give you so much 'tude--you could try that out too if you're hard up like it sounds. ;)
But hey, try the trannies out. And for the record, prostitutes in the PNW don't give you so much 'tude--you could try that out too if you're hard up like it sounds. ;)
11
I read and re-read this post, Cienna, and you did downplay what happened to Kira. Your choice of contextual framing—"started this way," "[I] found the victim's statements in the report to be slightly different," and not prefacing Kira's statements with the same gravity you give to the official SPD reports—provide apologia for Kira's assault.
You could have chosen a different preface for this post and presented the different accounts with less hyperbole—"slightly" is unnecessary and only trivializes Kira's voice.
Regardless of Kira's actions and state of mind, she deserves better than this post.
You could have chosen a different preface for this post and presented the different accounts with less hyperbole—"slightly" is unnecessary and only trivializes Kira's voice.
Regardless of Kira's actions and state of mind, she deserves better than this post.
12
6/Supreme Ruler, it wouldn't surprise me if transgendered women are less standoffish towards men who try to make small talk, joke or flirt with them -- including men they're not attracted to -- than other women are. Having been men, it seems reasonable that they may have a greater appreciation for what it's like to have to be the initiator.
13
@ 6. I bet her reaction was because your comment wasn't funny and because you look like a rapist.
16
Seriously!?! If some creepy, meth-head reeking of his own urine ran up and kissed you on the cheek you wouldn't punch him? I would! I'm pretty sure if a normal looking stranger in a suit ran up and kissed me I would punch him!
17
By the way, tomorrow I'm going to start being a carp and everyone must refer to me as a 'fish' and call me 'it' when you talk about me.
He's a video of my conversion:
tinyurl.com/6mme7f
He's a video of my conversion:
tinyurl.com/6mme7f
18
@17 Honestly, I don't have a problem with suffering you whatever delusional pronoun you prefer. Just don't try to kiss me. Blow kisses, fine. Wink, smile. That's alright with me. Grab my ass, kiss me or anything like that and I may or may not be so accommodating. Depends on the kinda day I'm having.
19
@18 But I just want to be a fish, I'll only blow bubbles at you. It's my right as a man. From now on, everyone must call me 'it'.
tinyurl.com/6mme7f
tinyurl.com/6mme7f
21
I am surprised everyone is so quick to make judgements here. This is a classic case of he she said. The police report has two conflicting statements that need to be weighed out in court. Either this was a hate crime on capitol hill or it was a personal harassing a bystander who uses their protected status to play the victim.
Either way its a fucked up situation but you and me and everyone on SLOG don't know which is the case.
Either way its a fucked up situation but you and me and everyone on SLOG don't know which is the case.
23
My transitory transphobic transgression shan't be tolerated! Totally transparent attempts at turning my transhateful transphobic tantrum into tortured tokens of transgender tolerance are a travesty!
Sigh...I know transgender people so I can't be transphobic. I have photos featuring me in some kind of proximity to them at parties and gatherings. None of them look like your grampy in a pantsuit with a wig...more like your cousin or uncle. And through this photographic evidence, I renounce all responsibility for what I have heretofore said. I am genuinely concerned fore the safety and well being of our transgender bros and hos.
Sigh...I know transgender people so I can't be transphobic. I have photos featuring me in some kind of proximity to them at parties and gatherings. None of them look like your grampy in a pantsuit with a wig...more like your cousin or uncle. And through this photographic evidence, I renounce all responsibility for what I have heretofore said. I am genuinely concerned fore the safety and well being of our transgender bros and hos.
25
Cienna leaves stuff out from the SGN article which leads me to believe this is a hate crime.
Whether it was a kiss on the cheek or not, either way, it smells like victim blaming too.
My guess is this was not "just someone" walking down the street. AND If you wanna "examine the nuisances" why not wonder if:
According to SGN, she "was still wearing her blonde wig" or recently transplanted from staying at a crisis center called "This is H.O.W." for marginalized trans people. . . or anything that might indicate she didn't have the support, money or medical access to blend better or if she was in early in transition (hence the wig) or not a stripe of trans that medically transitions (.i.e. not transsexual)?
. . . Or would wondering if she was 'visibly trans' and therefore more vulnerable to a random attack on the street *for what she looked like* be too victim-ee blaming? hmm.
"-1."
Whether it was a kiss on the cheek or not, either way, it smells like victim blaming too.
My guess is this was not "just someone" walking down the street. AND If you wanna "examine the nuisances" why not wonder if:
According to SGN, she "was still wearing her blonde wig" or recently transplanted from staying at a crisis center called "This is H.O.W." for marginalized trans people. . . or anything that might indicate she didn't have the support, money or medical access to blend better or if she was in early in transition (hence the wig) or not a stripe of trans that medically transitions (.i.e. not transsexual)?
. . . Or would wondering if she was 'visibly trans' and therefore more vulnerable to a random attack on the street *for what she looked like* be too victim-ee blaming? hmm.
"-1."
27
Greetings and salutations, all.
My name is Toni D'orsay, and I am the Executive Director of This Is H.O.W.
In reading through the comments, a few points to make here.
First off, the two didn't know each other. Kira knew no one in the Seattle area, and moved there because she'd heard it was very friendly.
Knowing Kira, I'd like to say that it is extremely unlikely that the suspect's description of her activities is accurate. Something I'd even be willing to testify to in court.
Kira is,in fact, in early transition. Very early, and worked with my house manager to prepare for her trip. I would be perfectly willing to describe her as "visibly trans" as this point, but she's a good person who chose to move to Seattle to make a new start for herself.
I personally find some of the commentary and elements of the article to be questionable, but I can understand since few people are familiar with Kira in the area.
This is H.O.W. is a crisis intervention center located in Phoenix, Arizona. We've been operating for 5 years now, and have helped several hundred trans people to improve their lives. OUr programs are multiple, and not specifically for marginalized trans individuals, although we have done extensive work within the communities of color and the most impoverished of trans individuals.
We are supported entirely through small dollar donations, and none of our staff, including myself, are paid. Our website is www.thisishow.org.
My name is Toni D'orsay, and I am the Executive Director of This Is H.O.W.
In reading through the comments, a few points to make here.
First off, the two didn't know each other. Kira knew no one in the Seattle area, and moved there because she'd heard it was very friendly.
Knowing Kira, I'd like to say that it is extremely unlikely that the suspect's description of her activities is accurate. Something I'd even be willing to testify to in court.
Kira is,in fact, in early transition. Very early, and worked with my house manager to prepare for her trip. I would be perfectly willing to describe her as "visibly trans" as this point, but she's a good person who chose to move to Seattle to make a new start for herself.
I personally find some of the commentary and elements of the article to be questionable, but I can understand since few people are familiar with Kira in the area.
This is H.O.W. is a crisis intervention center located in Phoenix, Arizona. We've been operating for 5 years now, and have helped several hundred trans people to improve their lives. OUr programs are multiple, and not specifically for marginalized trans individuals, although we have done extensive work within the communities of color and the most impoverished of trans individuals.
We are supported entirely through small dollar donations, and none of our staff, including myself, are paid. Our website is www.thisishow.org.
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