Hate Violence Against Transgender Women In Jess Goldberg's Stone Butch Blues

Hate violence is a predominant issue against transgender women who wish for acceptance from society. Individuals believe they have the right to perform violence against these transgender women because of their gender identity. For example, in the novel Stone Butch Blues, Jess Goldberg is physically a women but prefers to live life as a male. Since Jess chooses to live life as a male, or butch, she is frequently a target of policemen and other individuals because of her identity. The society views Jess as a criminal because during the 1960’s homosexuality was illegal and it was considered a mental disorder. Apparently, our society has made much more progress today for transgender women, but they still face a multitude of hate violence. A major

In the 1960’s, hate violence against transgender was s a major issue and it still is. In the novel Stone Butch Blues, Jess is targeted by society where she could not fit in because of her sexual orientation. In the beginning of the novel, Jess was picked on by students, teachers, and her parents. Jess comes to the conclusion that running away from home was the best way to avoid negativity and move on with her life as a butch women. Jess begins working at a bar in Buffalo where she is welcomed as a family and she is able to express her gender identity without being picked on. Since it was the 1960’s, lesbian bars were dangerous, and it wasn’t a safe place for Jess or butches. The policemen would frequently raid the bar and arrest Jess and other butches dressed in male clothing. In contrast, transgender women have free access where policemen don’t target but violence against these transgender women is still active. According to Advocate, “Law enforcement agencies reported 5,928 hate crime incidents in 2013, and of those reported 20.8 percent motivated by a victim's sexual orientation” (Advocate). Transgender women are often picked on by individuals because these individuals don’t accept the way they are so they do unpleasant and dirty work to them. This problem should be discontinued because each individual has the right to be free and make their own life

They are either beaten or murdered. In the novel Stone Butch Blues, there is a scene where Mona is beaten by policemen because she’s a butch and its Jess’s first time in jail. “About an hour later the cops brought Mona back. My heart broke when I saw her. Two cops were dragging her; she could barely stand. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face. Her make up smeared. There was blood running down the back of her seamless stockings. They threw her into the cell next to mine. She stayed where she fell” (Feinberg 35). While sitting in the cell, Mona says “It changes you” which best describes how policeman violently treat butches (Feinberg 35). In modern society, transgender individuals are experiencing death among the community. For example, on April 19, 2009, Angie Zapata, a biological boy, who wanted to become a member of the “Americas Next Top Model” was beaten to death (Los Angeles Times). According the Los Angeles Times, “Zapata met Andrade, a 32-year-old convicted felon, on a social networking website in July, according to an arrest affidavit. On July 16, they went on a date, and Andrade said Zapata performed oral sex on him but would not permit him to touch her. Andrade said he became suspicious about Zapata's gender and grabbed her crotch. Enraged, he said, he beat her with a fire extinguisher.” In this case, it was unnecessary for Andrade to perform