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Dwayne Jones was relentlessly teased in high school for being effeminate until he dropped out. His father not only kicked him out of the house at the age of 14 but also helped jeering neighbors push the youngster from the rough Jamaican slum where he grew up.
--WUSA
Jones was dead two years later, beaten by a mob, stabbed multiple times, shot and run over by a car.
Why? Dwayne Jones dared to show up at a dance party dressed as a woman. His real mistake was confiding to a woman "friend" that he was going to attend the party. That "friend" told some men friends.
When I saw Dwayne's body, I started shaking and crying.
It was horrible. It was so, so painful to see him like that.
--Khloe, who shared a derelict house with Jones and two other transpeople
Jones' death made the headlines and stirred calls to protect Jamaica's LGBT community.
Advocates say much of the homophobia is fueled by a nearly 150-year-old anti-sodomy law that bans anal sex as well as by dancehall reggae performers who flaunt anti-gay themes. The island's main gay rights group estimated that two homosexual men were killed for their sexual orientation last year, and 36 were the victims of mob violence.
For years, Jamaica's gay community has lived so far underground that their parties and church services were held in secret locations. Most gays have stuck to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy of keeping their sexual orientation hidden to avoid scrutiny or protect loved ones.
Judging by comments made on social media, most Jamaicans think Dwayne Jones brought his death on himself for wearing a dress and dancing in a society that has made it abundantly clear that homosexuals are neither to be seen nor heard.
--Annie Paul, publications manager at the Jamaican campus of the University of the West Indies
Some people claim that the hostility arises from the legacy of slaves being ritually sodomized as punishment and humiliation. But even in the face of that, a small group of LGBT runaways congregates nightly in Kingston's financial district.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller had vowed to put the 150-year-old anti-sodomy law to a conscience vote in Parliament, but has backed down on that promise in the face of rhetoric from Jamaican preachers.
Even though 300 people were at the party, police say nobody is willing to say they saw the attackers' faces. Thus there have been no arrests.
Jones had arrived at the party in a taxi with his housemates, Khloe and Keke, both 23. They say that Jones' expert dance moves, long legs, and high cheekbones immediately made Jones the center of attention and that all the guys wanted to dance with Jones.
When Jones was surrounded by a group of male friends of the woman he had confided in, they asked Jones, "Are you a man or a woman?" One man grabbed a lantern and looked Jones up and down before stating, "It's a man." Others hissed "batty boy" and other epithets.
Khloe tried to walk Jones away, but couldn't. Someone snapped Jones' bra and Jones tried to run, but couldn't escape the mob. Jones was viciously assaulted and half-conscious for a about two hours before people returned to finish the murder.
Khloe was also assaulted and nearly raped before escaping to a nearby church.
Jones' family didn't even claim the body.
He was the youngest of us but he was a diva. He was always very feisty and joking around.
--Khloe
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Jiyi Ng, 29, and Abbygail Wu, 27, are post-operative transwomen who married last October, after Ms. Wu changed the gender on her national identity card. Taiwan insists that a marriage must consist of a man and a woman, so Ms. Ng did not change the gender on her identity card at that time. This past June the government invalidated their marriage after Ms. Ng filed for a change in gender.
After a lengthy public hearing, followed by a closed door meeting, the Ministry of the Interior agreed to reinstate the couple's marital status, since the couple had scrupulously followed the rules.
In a statement, the interior ministry said the decision was based on a 1994 ruling in which the Ministry of Justice said a change of gender during a legally recognized marriage does not affect a person’s marital standing and the person’s relationship with his or her offspring.
On hearing the news, the couple kissed in front of a crowd of supporters.
The decision was a surprise. We thought we had had a 90 percent chance of losing the appeal.
--Abbygail
Protection of marriage and the right to marry is part of basic human rights, which means the decision was delayed justice but nothing groundbreaking,
--Chien Chih-chieh, Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights
While the case demonstrates that the government is still unwilling to budge from the one man/one woman marital rule, the case does domonstrate a willingness on the part of the government to discuss the issue, according to Ms. Chien.
Taipei is considered one of the most gay-friendly travel destinations and Taiwan has hosted gay pride parades since 2003, with 50,000 in attendance last year.
We hope the day that the acceptance of our community is as high as its visibility will come soon.
--Ms. Chien
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Dwight DeLee was convicted of Manslaughter as a Hate Crime in 2009 in the shooting death of transwoman LaTeisha Green in Syracuse.
Last month an appellate court overturned that conviction based on judge's error. The judge gave the jury improper instructions, which led to the jury finding DeLee innocent of manslaughter, but guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime. The appellate court said that the inconsistent verdicts could not stand.
In sum, based on our review of the elements of the offenses as charged to the jury, we conclude that the verdict is inconsistent, i.e.,'legally impossible', insofar as it finds defendant guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime but not guilty of manslaughter in the first degree.
DeLee was released from prison last week, much to the dismay of Roxann Green, the victim's mother.
I'm nervous. I'm hurt. I can't hardly sleep at night now. There's got to be some rights here for me and my family. There is no way in hell this boy can walk free. No way. It's not right.
--Roxann Green
An attorney involved in the case did object to the verdicts at the time, but the judge dismissed the objection and the jury.
The role of the court, as a legal expert, is to instruct the jurors on the law and where, as here, an attorney timely objects to a verdict as inconsistent, it is incumbent upon the court to inform the jurors of the defect in their verdict and to direct them to resume deliberations so as to render a proper verdict. The court's failure to do so in this case constitutes reversible error.
Judge Walsh has since retired.
The Onondaga County District Attorney's Office is asking for permission to argue their opinion in the New York's highest court.
When an appellate decision appears to lack common sense, everybody is frustrated. We're optimistic that the court of appeals will look at the big picture, look at what the jurors' intent was and reinstate the conviction.
--Assistant District Attorney Rick Trunflo
I don't have no faith in the system no more. I want justice for my child. Revenge isn't the answer here, it's justice. Will I get it?
--Roxann Green
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