Transgender hate crime

I have an extra special hatred of hate crimes.  Yes, that’s probably due in part to my being a gay man.  It also stems from my belief that no one should be judged on their sexuality or their gender identity (or other physical & mental traits inherent to an individual).  There is no moral component to being transgendered, and being trans does not cause harm to anyone (the perception from and treatment by society causes harm to many transgendered individuals, but that is not inherent to trans people themselves, and can be reduced by education, compassion, and empathy). When I hear stories of transgender hate crimes, it makes my blood boil.  There is nothing different about transmen and transwomen than anyone else. They’re trying to live their lives like every other human being.  They want to go through their daily activities without being the butt of jokes, to be able to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify, and not be subjected to hate crimes:

Police said on Thursday that a man will be charged with a hate crime after he allegedly stabbed a transgender girl on a Metro train in Washington, D.C.

WRC reported that the 15-year-old girl was on the green line at Fort Totten station when the suspect, who was identified as 24-year-old Reginald Anthony Klaiber, began mocking her appearance.

“He came to my friend and said you have red hair,” Jae-la White, a friend of the victim who witnessed the attack, told the Washington Blade. “My friend said ok, and then he said, ‘Oh, you’re a man!’”

“Then he started bothering my friend,” White recalled. “My friend got up out of her seat to go by the door while the train was moving and told him to please leave her alone. He faced her and said I will stab you up and blow your brains out.”

The witness said that Klaiber “started to hug” the victim in a sexual way, and then began stabbing her.

According to White, a second friend sprayed pepper spray in the suspect’s eyes, but the attack did not end there. After the train arrived at Fort Totten Station, she said that Klaiber chased the group “with the knife upstairs and through the station.” White said that it took four officers to eventually subdue Klaiber.

The victim was reportedly in stable condition after being transported to a local hospital.

A Metro spokesperson told WRC that assault with a deadly weapon charges against Klaiber would include the enhanced hate crime penalty because witnesses heard him taunt the 15-year-old girl for being transgender.

Klaiber’s criminal history includes assault and resisting arrest. He was most recently arrested two weeks ago for carrying a concealed weapon.

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Transgender hate crime
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