Standing Watch

Myra Chanel Ical

Houston, TX: On January 18, 2010, the body of a partially clothed woman was found in a field at the 4300 block of Garrot Street, at about 2:00 pm local time.  She had numerous bruises and defensive wounds, suggesting she had fought for her life.

I have just learned that the body was that of 51 year old Myra Chanel Ical.

Whether or not this crime gets solved remains doubtful, as the HPD now has  7 unsolved murders of transgender persons on their books in the last 10 years (most transgender murders remain unsolved except in the most extreme cases).  The Texas James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, passed in 2001, provides enhanced penalties for hate crimes motivated by race, religion, color, sex, disability, sexual preference, age, or national origin.  The Byrd Hate Crimes Act does not currently include gender identity/expression.

There is a vigil planned for Monday, January 25, 2010 at 6:00 pm local time at the site where Ical’s body was found.

When originally reported, the finding of Ical’s body was originally reported as “the body of a woman.”  Upon medical examination, however, reporting shifted dramatically and in a salacious direction.  Ical was immediately afterward referred to as a male.  Some reports even claimed she “fooled police,” suggesting even in death a transgender person is out to trick others.  And, of course, whenever reporting on the death of transwomen or women of color, the media jumped on police claims that the location where Ical’s body was found is “frequently used for prostitution, drug use, and homeless camps.”

These sort of official statements and media reports serve but one purpose, to dehumanize the victim.  In reporting on transgender crime victims, law enforcement and the media use such tactics to insinuate “they deserved what they got for being who they were,” and perpetuate the hate and violence directed at victims of bias crimes, particularly when the bias is widely accepted by the community to begin with.

For all the general public knows, Ical was murdered elsewhere, and her body was dumped where it was found.  We know nothing of her life, save for the sensationalized bits that boost ratings while devaluing her worth as a human being.  I’m certain we’ll get more of this, particularly on a slow news day.

One can be quite certain that if a white female child were found under similar circumstances, Houston officials and the local media would be extremely careful in how they reported the case, and far more respectful.

Transgender persons are now 17 times more likely to be murdered than the national average, much higher than any demographic group.  The murders are also more likely than not to be solved (a suspect is arrested, tried, and convicted of some crime for the death).  Murder remains one of the leading causes of death for transgender persons in the United States (according to experts and available government statistics, Mortality and Morbidity reports, etc).

Transgender crime victims are also far less likely to report property or violent crimes against them, due to how officials and the media treat them.  Add to this the fact that in 1999, law enforcement accounted for 50% of hate crimes committed against transgender persons, even in such “open and enlightened” cities as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, etc. ( http://www.hemingways.org/GIDinfo/morbid.htm )

This has to stop.  The degradation and disrespect by officials has to stop.  The media sensationalism for the sake of boosting ratings has to stop.  The violence has to stop.

When will it?  How many must die before killing in the name of hatred, intolerance, and fear of anyone who is different from us finally stops?

What if it were you, alone in a field, fighting for your life?