Lambda Legal has settled a lawsuit in the case of Passion Star, a black transgender woman who experienced repeated rapes, physical assaults and an attack with a razor while she was incarcerated in all-male prisons in Texas. The agreement, which was announced on March 15, includes a monetary settlement and an update to the state…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Opposed Controversial “Bathroom Bill,” State Legislator Says
By Emma Platoff, Texas Tribune March 13, 2018 Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout. Gov. Greg Abbott himself was opposed to the controversial “bathroom bill” that dominated debate at the Texas Capitol for much of 2017, according to a state representative involved in keeping the legislation from passing the Texas House. State Rep.…
A Bungled Strategy in the Case of Kenne McFadden’s Death
San Antonio’s transgender community is angered and bewildered at how the man who admitted to pushing a local trans woman into the San Antonio River, where she drowned, was found not guilty of criminal conduct in a probation hearing. Mark Daniel Lewis was indicted for manslaughter last year by a Bexar County grand jury for…
Protest Planned After Judge Rules Kenne McFadden’s Death Not a Crime
LGBT activists are planning to protest after a local judge ruled that the actions of a man who pushed a transgender woman into the San Antonio River, thus causing her to drown, did not constitute criminal conduct. State District Judge Joey Contreras’ ruling took place during a probation revocation hearing for Mark Daniel Lewis who…
Houston Trans Woman is 28th Murdered in U.S. This Year
A transgender woman, who was gunned down at the corner of Brandon and Red Bud Streets in Houston’s Sunnyvale neighborhood on December 13, has become the 28th trans person murdered in the U.S. in 2017. Twenty-six-year-old Debarione “Brandi” Seals was in her car around 6 a.m. Neighbors told Fox 26 they heard a series of…
Man Indicted in Death of SA Transgender Woman
A 20-year-old man has been indicted by a grand jury in connection with the death of Kenne McFadden, a San Antonio trans woman whose body was found in the San Antonio River last April. Mark Daniel Lewis of Live Oak was charged with manslaughter, which is a second-degree felony. According to a report by the…
Man Sentenced in Murder of Texas Trans Woman
A 30-year-old man from Childress, Texas has been found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in jail for the 2016 murder of a 43-year-old Austin transgender woman. During the trial, which began in late October, JonCasey Rowell admitted to shooting Monica Loera at close range in what he said was an act of self-defense. Rowell…
Transgender Day of Remembrance to be Observed in SA on Nov. 16
San Antonio’s LGBT community will come together to observe the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 16 with events slated for downtown San Antonio. The evening begins at 6 p.m. when Pride Center San Antonio presents a Memorial Celebration of Lives Lost in Travis Park. At 7 p.m., the observance moves indoors for a service…
Trans Texans’ Military Dreams on Hold Under Trump Administration
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. In January, Misty Brandon’s 24-year-old son sold his furniture and his truck and moved from San Antonio to Colorado with one goal in mind: To join the military in June. That’s because in June, the U.S. Department of Defense was going to officially let openly transgender people enroll…
Texas Bathroom Bill Appears to Be All But Dead in Special Session
By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune August 11, 2017 Despite it serving, in part, as the reason lawmakers are back in Austin for legislative overtime, the Texas Legislature could very well gavel out next week without passing a “bathroom bill.” With just days left in the 30-day special legislative session, controversial proposals to regulate bathroom…