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…
Trans Woman Shot at San Antonio Motel
San Antonio police are reporting that a transgender woman was shot at a local motel by a man she met on an internet dating site around 2 a.m. on Thursday, March 8. Police say the woman, who has not been identified, was staying at the Travelodge Inn & Suites at 2383 NE Interstate 410 Loop.…
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…
Family, Friends of Murdered Trans Woman Hold River Walk Vigil
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. River boat operator Tom Vanzandt was guiding his boat under the Houston St. bridge April 9 when he was flagged down by a River Walk employee. “There was something in the water,” Vanzandt said Tuesday, solemnly thinking back to the spring morning. “A mass of brown hair. I…
A Memorial for Slain SA Trans Woman Kenne McFadden
The San Antonio Gender Association will recall the life of Kenne McFadden on August 8, which would have been her 27th birthday. McFadden was murdered in San Antonio last April, becoming the 12th transgender person murdered in the U.S. this year. A memorial, which is being held in conjunction with the Pride Center and Politiqueers,…
Police Say Riverwalk Death of Trans Woman Was Homicide
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. April first met Kenne McFadden when they were eighth graders at Kirby Middle School, some 14 years ago. She described the 12-year-old as “goofy and uplifting.” “[McFadden] always kept us smiling and laughing,” April told the Current. (She asked to only be identified by her first name.) They…
Metamorphoses: Medical Transition and Where Gatekeeping Is Headed
Like a large portion of transgender women, I have experienced immense difficulty accessing the proper care that I’ve required to medically transition. When I first came out publicly as a trans woman, one of my goals was to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as soon as possible, but I quickly learned that it isn’t as…