User:Pikachusneeze8/sandbox

History of violence against LGBT people in the United States

2015

 * February 1, 2015 – Taja DeJesus, 36, a trans woman, was found stabbed to death in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Her suspected assailant, James Hayes, 49, was found dead by suicide in a warehouse a half mile from where Dejesus was murdered. The suspected murderer was speculated to be not of any connection to Dejesus. Dejesus was known to be "strong and selfless", "very bubbly and outspoken" according to her mother and peers and was an "active member of the local church" according to Advocate.com. She was also known to be an prominent activist for the transgender community, specifically on the topics of healthcare. Her murder was regionally impactful, an organization called Taja's Coalition https://tajascoalition.org/about/, (stylized TAJAs) was founded (and is co-founded by Janetta Johnson) in honor of her prominent activism for the Transgender community in Bayview and San Francisco. TAJAs promotes leadership, collaboration, and establish a sense of community within the Transgender and Gender Non-Binary (TGNB) community. The organization focuses on liberating the Transgender community of brutalization and violence by providing resources for the betterment of quality of life, supporting the community at an economical basis, and celebrating the diversity and pride of transgender women of color. TAJAs is considered one of the only foundations that have been led continuously by transgender women of color. The organization works in partnership with the San Francisco LGBT Center to provide economical resources to TGNB individuals in need - such as vouchers for work attire for job interviews.
 * April 13, 2015 – Ron Lane was shot dead by a former student of Wayne Community College, identified as Kenneth M. Stancil III, who he had supervised at the campus print shop. His mother made unconfirmed allegations that Lane, who was gay, made unwanted sexual advances towards Stancil. The shooting was investigated as a hate crime.
 * May 5, 2015 – Jonathan Snipes, 25, and Ethan York-Adams, 25, were victims of a speculated homophobic attack in Chelsea, at restaurant Dallas BBQ. When Snipes knocked over a drink, a male patron, 42 year old Bayna-Lekheim El-Amin (who was a gay Muslim and Black man) in the restaurant directed homophobic slurs towards the couple, Snipes verbally confronted the patrons. The patrons then physically escalated their argument, where Snipes was pushed to the ground and repeatedly kicked. York-Adams and Snipes were then hit with a heavy wooden chair, leaving York-Adams unconscious and Snipes with a speculated concussion . Both suspects fled the restaurant, while the victims sustained multiple injuries. The victims refused medical attention, stating that insurance (or lack thereof) was a major obstacle . From El-Amin's testimony, Snipes had spilled a drink on him, thought that El-Amin called Snipes a "messy white f--" which prompted him to call El-Amin a racial slur and pummel him with his purse. The case made a public and prolific discussion on the treatment of Queer people of color, as El-Amin argued that he acted in self-defense only due to Snipes weilding a knife at him. After the incident had occured, Snipes recalled that he was unsure if El-Amin had made any comment towards him . Due to speculation of the incident, it was argued that Bayna El-Amin was also gay, and attacked Snipes and York-Adams out of rage and self-defense. The argument was unsuccessfully fought . It is notable that the victims are White and the assailant is Black, and highly speculated to be a racial bias of the court.El-Amin was sentenced to nine years in prison, with three additional years of supervision for assault. The incident was not ruled as a hate crime.