Nex Benedict died one day after a fight in a school bathroom. Their mother Sue Benedict tells Bevan Hurley that the gender fluid teenager endured more than a year of abuse simply for being who they were
It’s pretty common to see transphobes wading into this sort of stuff with the same kind of arguments that racists use about police murdering black people, etc. That support of the system because the system is oppressing a minority they don’t like kind of thing where they turn a blind eye to any context.
I’m not gonna wade into that kind of debate, but to me, the big issue is what I saw somebody else say: that the police aren’t even going to consider whether or not a crime was committed until after they get the toxicology report, despite knowing that the person in question was assaulted like the day before.
Like the cops, focusing on the toxicology report alone is an easy way to erase everything else about what happened. Having a toxicology done isn’t transphobic, but focusing only on that and when it comes back clean, ruling it as a freak accident and not following up on the assault? That would be transphobic as hell and wouldn’t be the first or last time the cops did something like that.
Here’s my issue, when you call someone a transphobe (or racist, or pedophile, etc) when they haven’t actually been transphobic, you water down the meaning. It just becomes a thing you say that lost it’s meaning, rather than the big deal it is.
that the police aren’t even going to consider whether or not a crime was committed until after they get the toxicology report, despite knowing that the person in question was assaulted like the day before.
Why would they before they finish investigating? What’s the charge? Simple assault, assault and battery, manslaughter, negligent homicide, second degree murder? If you don’t have all the facts you can’t charge them properly.
Maybe the police have an interest in burying the charges, but if you don’t know that, you shouldn’t claim it. Because the best way to secure a conviction is to thoroughly investigate first, then bring charges once the information has been gathered. Anything else is laying the groundwork for a defense attorney.
Like the cops, focusing on the toxicology report alone is an easy way to erase everything else about what happened. Having a toxicology done isn’t transphobic, but focusing only on that and when it comes back clean, ruling it as a freak accident and not following up on the assault? That would be transphobic as hell
Ok, agreed. But that hasn’t happened yet. Reacting to something that hasn’t happened just allows other people to ignore you and your concerns about trans rights. I would caution against that approach. If they don’t take action once the info is in, or blame the victim, then you get mad as hell. Best of luck!
Yeah, when I said that I wasn’t gonna wade into the argument, I meant on whether or not they were actually being transphobic, because that one line simply isn’t enough to say what their motivation is.
As for the cops, the issue is that they’re doing a toxicology, but not following up on the assault in any form. They could be investigating that as well while they wait on the report, but they’re actively holding off on doing that.
It’s pretty common to see transphobes wading into this sort of stuff with the same kind of arguments that racists use about police murdering black people, etc. That support of the system because the system is oppressing a minority they don’t like kind of thing where they turn a blind eye to any context.
I’m not gonna wade into that kind of debate, but to me, the big issue is what I saw somebody else say: that the police aren’t even going to consider whether or not a crime was committed until after they get the toxicology report, despite knowing that the person in question was assaulted like the day before.
Like the cops, focusing on the toxicology report alone is an easy way to erase everything else about what happened. Having a toxicology done isn’t transphobic, but focusing only on that and when it comes back clean, ruling it as a freak accident and not following up on the assault? That would be transphobic as hell and wouldn’t be the first or last time the cops did something like that.
Here’s my issue, when you call someone a transphobe (or racist, or pedophile, etc) when they haven’t actually been transphobic, you water down the meaning. It just becomes a thing you say that lost it’s meaning, rather than the big deal it is.
Why would they before they finish investigating? What’s the charge? Simple assault, assault and battery, manslaughter, negligent homicide, second degree murder? If you don’t have all the facts you can’t charge them properly.
Maybe the police have an interest in burying the charges, but if you don’t know that, you shouldn’t claim it. Because the best way to secure a conviction is to thoroughly investigate first, then bring charges once the information has been gathered. Anything else is laying the groundwork for a defense attorney.
Ok, agreed. But that hasn’t happened yet. Reacting to something that hasn’t happened just allows other people to ignore you and your concerns about trans rights. I would caution against that approach. If they don’t take action once the info is in, or blame the victim, then you get mad as hell. Best of luck!
Yeah, when I said that I wasn’t gonna wade into the argument, I meant on whether or not they were actually being transphobic, because that one line simply isn’t enough to say what their motivation is.
As for the cops, the issue is that they’re doing a toxicology, but not following up on the assault in any form. They could be investigating that as well while they wait on the report, but they’re actively holding off on doing that.