The Republic of T.

With the bruising battle over ENDA still stinging some of us, and the Transgender Day of Rememberance approaching on November 20th, it seems appropriate to continue the LGBT Hate Crimes Project by adding as many new transgender-related cases as I can research and write up between now and November 20th.

It seems appropriate because, as I pointed out before, a combination of anti-trans bigotry and employment discrimination often puts some transgender women in position of doing what some trans activists have called “survival sex work”; something that puts many of them in danger of being targets for anti-trans hate crime, often stemming from “trans panic”, a close cousin of “gay panic”.

Alfred Dibble, who worked as a registered nurse, may not have done sex work out of economic necessity, but — like Bella Evangelista, and Emonie Spaulding — that’s likely what led to him being a victim of “trans panic,” found beaten unconscious only to die several days later without ever regaining consciousness.

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Alfred Dibble, a gay man who often dressed as a woman, was found beaten, unconscious, and dressed in women’s clothing in downtown Stockton, AZ, on May 19, 2007. He was taken to a local hospital where he died without regaining consciousness on May 23. The Dibble family, joined by anti-violence organizations, asked that his murder be treated as a hate crime.The Background

Born in Grand Rapids, MI, Dibble, 33, spent most of his life in Stockton, AZ, where he graduated from Franklin High School. At the time of his death, Dibble was working as a nurse1) at San Joaquin General Hospital and Kaiser Permanente. He worked at March’s Liquor Mart to pay his way through college and become a registered nurse.

Dibble’s sister, Adriana Rivera, 25, said her family knew her brother was gay and liked to dress as a woman. Rivera said Dibble had been arrested for prostitution before and may have been working the street the night he was killed.2) Dibble retained a male identity professionally.3)

Dibble lived in San Francisco briefly, where he was an active part of the Bay area LGBT community, before returning to Stockton.4)

The Attack

Dibble was found at 7:50 a.m. on March 19, 2007, beaten, unconscious, and dressed in women’s clothing, in bushes at the corner Miner Avenue and Sierra Nevada Street, about a mile from his home.5)

He was taken to a local hospital where he died on May 23, without regaining consciousness.6)

The Aftermath

The Anti-Defamation Leaue (ADL) and Community United Against Violence (CUAV) joined Dibble’s family in requesting that investigators pursue every possible lead, including anti-transgender bias. The ADL and CUAV announced they would work jointly to make sure the case was treated with sensitivity and that any potential evidence of hate motivation was explored.7)

The CUAV reported that police have not classified Dibble’s murder as a hate crime due to lack of evidence.

Officer Pete Smith of the Stockton Police Department said that investigators have little evidence, no suspects, and little evidence that leads them to classify the murder as a hate crime.9)

This entry was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2007 at 2:30 pm and is filed under blogs, courts, crime, current events, gay rights, hate crimes, politics.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.