X'd symbol
A symbol of oppression. That's what Jennifer Laude was cast as during her funeral, the instant representative of the screechy, perhaps, but otherwise voiceless transgendered citizens of this nation. As well, Jennifer supposedly exemplified the Filipino ant systematically tread upon by the American colossus, for which reason the U.S. military presence must scram from our shores.
The catcalls weren't far behind. No, she wasn't, said some detractors. They had become tired of the circus, and for them, Jennifer's name was an unwelcome sight in their news feed. She wasn't a symbol of oppression. She wasn't even oppressed!, judged a few. More like, a symbol of promiscuity! (This, from a practicing lawyer in his 50's. Fortunately, he was from another law school.)
She was a slut. She was a prostitute. She was using her German boyfriend to get money and a visa, while meeting up with strange men and seducing them. She had deserved to be killed. It was her fault. She fooled him. She had pretended to be a woman when she wasn't.
Some attacked Jennifer's boyfriend. What was the nut doing? Why is he acting that way? He's an undesirable alien. He should be deported. Why is he attempting to scale the walls of the holding facility where the accused killer is being held? Why is he making an ass out of himself? (I wanted to retort, "well pretend your wife has been murdered. Pretend that her head was slammed and shoved into a toilet bowl. Pretend she was strangled to death. Let's see how you behave then.")
Some attacked the lawyer, who stepped up to represent the victim. Some attacked the leftists, for riding on this case to vent their anger at imperial America.
How to address the sound and the fury. What to do about the venom without becoming strident and equally venomous? It was a recipe for cat fights and flame attacks, burned bridges and terminated friendships, and it was all I could do to refrain from launching into Oscar-worthy performances.
Let's start with sobriety. A person has been killed. In a very brutal, savage manner. That person had hopes and dreams. That person had family. That person had loved ones. That person had sins, yes, but we have already determined that no sin deserves death. So, perhaps we should propose the thesis that we should not let those sins that we think she has committed color our judgment, assuming we should even judge her.
If we have that as a framework, then we can perhaps agree that we should treat that person like we treat any other person. Like a foolish shallow socialite that does nothing but spend millions on clothes and parties. Like a nun who sacrificed her life to serve the hungry. Like an innocent schoolgirl now crying of rape. Like a prostitute whose john has inflicted physical injuries on her just because he can. In short, like a citizen entitled to protection from her government.
If this is the premise, why then do people paint her red? Why then, even if she is painted a vivid scarlet, do strangers join the fray and cast stones upon her? Just because she does not conform to traditional notions of being a good girl (good grief, she's not even a girl, she's some drag queen) then people have jumped to the cruel conclusion that she deserved the beating she got. She deserved to be killed. She deserved to be murdered and wiped out from existence.
Yes, I may not have proof she was oppressed before, but isn't her treatment now proof she is being oppressed at this very moment? Does that not make her a prime candidate to be a symbol of oppression?
I cannot understand the difficulty some of my countrymen have had in extending to Jennifer Laude the same rights they assume to be rightly theirs. The right to be vindicated. The right to have her murderer found. The right for her relatives to grieve. There's some adage about walking in a person's shoes that's apt here. I would not wish them to walk (and die) in Jennifer's stilettos though. At least I'm still willing to extend them that much.
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