Tomorrow marks twenty years since trans* man Brandon Teena was murdered by gunshot in Humbroldt, Nebraska. Chillingly, Brandon had previously filed a police report of his assault and rape by the soon- to-be murderers, John Lotter and Marvin Nissen.
Brandon was born December 12th, 1972 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Although born a girl and named by parents Patrick and JoAnn as Teena Renae Brandon, Brandon identified as a boy from early childhood. The 1999 film ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ was based on Brandon’s life story.
Brandon’s father died eight months before he was born. Brandon lived with a grandmother until he was three and thereafter he lived with his mother. As an adolescent, Brandon began identifying as being male, and by 18 he was cross dressing regularly and dating girls. At 19, Brendan had counseling for the sexual abuse he suffered as a young child from an uncle.
In 1992, a psychiatric evaluation described Brandon as suffering from a “sexual identity crisis” and Brandon attended a Lancaster Crisis Centre because it was feared he was suicidal. In 1993, Brandon fled Lincoln for the Falls City Region of Richardson County, Nebraska. He lived with Lisa Lambert and dated her friend Lana Tisdel. He met the two men who would murder him, Lotter and Nissen.
Brandon was arrested for forging checks on December 19th, 1993. He was jailed in the female section of the lock up and so Tisdel discovered he was anatomically female. After a Christmas Eve party, Lotter and Nissen assaulted and raped Brandon, who escaped. Brandon was persuaded by Tisdel to go to emergency and report to the police, however the standard rape kit that was assembled in emergency was later lost. The police questioning was done by Sheriff, Charles Laux who was inappropriate, asking irrelevant questions about Brandon’s transsexuality rather than addressing the need for measures to ensure his subsequent physical safety. Although Nissen and Lotter were questioned three days later, they were not arrested.
And so, horrifically, around 1am on December 31, 1993, Lotter and Nissen broke in to Lambert’s house and shot the three adults there, Brandon, Lambert and DeVine (who was dating Tisdel’s sister). Lambert’s toddler, though unharmed, was witness to the murderers. By Nissen’s testimony, Lotter received the death penalty. Nissen was sentenced to life in prison.
At this time, twenty years after the atrocity, I guess we can reflect on how far we have come as a society protecting the rights of GLBTQ people. We have come from a time when the basic privacy and essential physical safety of a trans man were not protected.
Today, we can still complain that GLBTIQ people are not understood and unhelpful and incorrect concepts and language are prevalent. Any such offenders, should do what Aram Hosie suggested in an OIP interview in 2008: “Google sex-change fish for a beginner’s education into the diversity and complexity of sex and gender in nature”.
And to everyone who does care, don’t ever forget the story of Brandon Teena, a man who only forged checks to buy expensive presents for his girlfriend and paid with his death through a societal system that has much to answer for.
Belinda Waycott
