The first incident occurred on June 30 at an apartment complex in Richmond, Indiana.
In two separate incidents within the past two weeks, anti-transgender sentiment is believed to have contributed to the tragic deaths of two individuals, one from Oregon and another from Indiana
Tommy Wayne Earl, 67, anti-transgender allegedly confronted his neighbor, Michelle Dionne Peacock, 59, whom he had expressed dislike for. Earl reportedly approached Peacock with a straight razor, slashing her throat in a manner that resulted in her bleeding out before assistance could be provided. Investigators uncovered that anti-transgender Earl referred to the victim as “a male acting like a woman,” despite Peacock being a cisgender woman. Anti-transgender Earl showed no remorse during his conversations with the authorities, even expressing a willingness to attack his neighbor again. Responding officers had to employ a stun gun to subdue Anti-transgender Earl, who also made threats against them.
Just two days later, in Portland, Oregon, Colin Michael Smith, 32, was fatally stabbed after defending a transgender friend from an anti-transgender man who began spouting homophobic slurs at their group in a bar
Anti-transgender Rahnique U. Jackson, 24, has been accused of killing Smith. Danielle Smith, Colin’s sister, described the incident as a hate crime, stating that Jackson took issue with their friend’s transgender identity and Colin became an obstacle while defending them. Witnesses suggest that Colin was attempting to de-escalate the situation before he tragically lost his life. Colin Smith was known as a compassionate caretaker at the Ox Restaurant in Portland, where he looked after his fellow employees.
Tommy Wayne Earl has been charged with first-degree murder and resisting law enforcement in the Richmond incident, while Rahnique U. Jackson faces charges of second-degree murder in the Portland case. These distressing events shed light on the presence of anti-transgender sentiment and its tragic consequences, calling for greater awareness and action to address this pressing societal issue.
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