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LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS — There are opinions floating around in the transgender sector of cyberspace having the view that trans woman CeCe McDonald is undeserving of any special recognition because she is a ‘convicted felon,’ they say.

(The saga of CeCe McDonald was covered in this space previously: https://lexiecannes.com/?s=cece&x=0&y=0 In short, to avoid the death end of a confrontation after being taunted, McDonald took action to defend herself. The confrontation however, did result in someone else’s death and it was pinned on McDonald. Rather than arguing self-defense at a trial, McDonald took a plea, served her sentence and is now out of prison. She was recently honored in the Trans 100.)

Rather than state a rebuttal to those “opinions”, I’m going to just share some facts for readers to consider when reading those “opinions.” Keep in mind CeCe McDonald is a trans woman of color.

1) Black transgender people live in extreme poverty, and racial bias are especially devastating for them. The ability for this group to get employment, housing and medical care extremely poor. The number of black people by HIV is devastating. They face higher abuse by the police and in prison. Sex work is often the only option for food and shelter. http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/reports

2) Black trans people are among the highest racial and ethnic groups at risk for suicide. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/AFSP-Williams-Suicide-Report-Final.pdf

3) Of 300-odd convicts exonerated by DNA, black people, a group that consists of only approximately 12% of the population, accounted more than 60% of those unfairly convicted. http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/DNA_Exonerations_Nationwide.php

4) Likewise, the percentage numbers are almost identical for black people exonerated from death row. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/innocence-list-those-freed-death-row

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There is a systematic order of things in this country that keep certain groups at a significant disadvantage — being transgender is one of them, being a person of color is another. Unless you’re in the oppressed group, you probably have no business judging them.

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You, too, can have your heart tugged by Lexie Cannes — an award-winning feature film about a transgender woman. Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332

LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS is associated with Wipe Out Transphobia: http://www.wipeouttransphobia.com/ Read Lexie Cannes in The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-odonnell/

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Categories: Discrimination, Equality, Civil Rights, Judicial, Courts, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans