HUMBOLDT, NEBRASKA, USA – DECEMBER 31, 1993 Brandon Teena was a young transgender man who lived in Nebraska and tried to build a normal life as a man. He was born on December 12, 1972, and was 21 years old at the time of his death. His story became widely known mainly because of the extreme violence committed against him and because local authorities failed to protect him.
Brandon Teena
In December 1993, Brandon was attacked by two local men, John Lotter and Thomas Nissen. After they discovered that he had been assigned female at birth, they brutally raped and beat him. Brandon reported the assault to the police, but the case was not handled quickly or seriously enough, which essentially destroyed his chances of getting to safety.
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- John Lotter
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- Thomas Nissen
On December 31, 1993, the attackers decided to silence witnesses, and the situation escalated into tragedy. Brandon Teena was murdered along with two other people who were at the same location. The other victims were Phillip DeVine, 22, and Lisa Lambert, 24. All three were killed during an attack at a house near Humboldt, Nebraska.
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- Phillip DeVine
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- Lisa Lambert
The deaths of Brandon Teena and the other two victims received major media attention and became a symbol of extreme violence against transgender people. The case later inspired the film ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, which helped bring much greater awareness to transphobia and hate crimes.
READ MORE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Teena
