Not on a woman
The Guardian heralds another first:
Missouri set to become first state to execute an openly transgender person
Progress! No, wait, that’s not what we mean. What do we mean? Uhh………..
Amber McLaughlin is facing the fate on Tuesday of becoming the first openly transgender person to be executed in the US – unless Missouri’s governor, Mike Parson, grants clemency and puts a stop to the planned lethal injection.
First transgender person but not first man.
Punishment by execution is a bad thing, but it doesn’t become worse because the executed person is a man who claims to be a woman.
There are no further court appeals pending. The clemency request focuses on several issues, including McLaughlin’s severely traumatic childhood and serious mental health issues, which the jury never heard during her trial. She was convicted in 2006 for killing a former girlfriend in 2003.
It’s the old “these aren’t our crimes” thing. Statistically men are vastly more likely to murder an ex than women are. McLaughlin was bumbling his effort to pass by killing his former girlfriend. It’s not a girly thing to do.
Two Missouri members of Congress, Democrats Cori Bush and Emanuel Cleaver, have been campaigning for McLaughlin’s sentence to be commuted and last week wrote to Parson urging him to scrap the execution.
To be clear, I don’t object to campaigns to scrap the execution.
They further stated in the letter: “Ms McLaughlin’s cruel execution would mark the state’s first use of the death penalty on a woman since the US supreme court reinstated capital punishment in 1976, and even worse it would not solve any of the systemic problems facing Missourians and people all across America, including anti-LGBTQ+ hate and violence, and cycles of violence that target and harm women.
No it wouldn’t. It wouldn’t mark the state’s first use of the death penalty on a woman since the US supreme court reinstated capital punishment, because he’s not a woman. These are not our crimes.
Too bad only the Daily Mail is including even the barest details of his crimes — he stalked and terrorized the woman before he raped her and then stabbed her to death. He then dumped her body. Now he wants mercy after he has enjoyed being alive for almost 20 years since his vicious crime. If they still did the firing squad thing, I would volunteer to serve.
“McLaughlin underwent gender transition while incarcerated.” — Motivated by what? Color me cynical.
To quote a commenter on Ovarit: “Exactly, why tf should, as the person you replied to said, the likely made up genderfeelz (not that they aren’t all made up) of a rapist murderer male who is going to be put to death soon anyway, be catered to, especially to the point of giving the creep breast implants?”
TRA logic: We need to give
himher surgeries, to prevent suicide!State of Missouri: Good idea! Yes, let’s use taxpayer dollars to do that. But let’s also actively end her life by killing her!
Even if he were a woman–WHICH HE’S NOT, DAMMIT–why mention this? It’s OK to execute men but not women? Women should get a break because sugar and spice?