Last September, Ríhanna Kelver was standing outside the Crowbar & Grill in Laramie, Wyoming, preparing to start her bartending shift, when she noticed a group of men across the street. One of them was shouting in her direction, and Kelver heard several homophobic and transphobic slurs as he began approaching her. Moments later, according to court testimony and surveillance footage, the man shoved Kelver to the ground hard enough to injure her tailbone.

Kelver responded by drawing a pistol from her bag, chambering a round, and pointing the weapon at the man who had pushed her. She kept the safety on and never fired. The man and his companions retreated.

Today, Kelver, a 28-year-old trans woman, faces two felony charges—aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent—which could carry up to 15 years in prison.

  • buddascrayon@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    I really think we need to revoke Wyoming status as a state. They don’t have enough of a population to justify statehood.

  • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    And this is why you don’t want a “mental illness” check for owning a firearm. They would absolutely label all LGBTQ+ people “mentally ill” and bar them from owning a firearm. It’s also why a national registry is how you allow criminals to keep their firearms and make a list of all LGBTQ+ people who would own firearms…that list should never exist.

    An armed minority is harder to oppress.

    • discocactus@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      And if you don’t think they’ve already set the stage for the same maneuver with Democrats in general you’re living under a rock. They don’t want civil war two, they want another Rwanda.

    • ghen@sh.itjust.works
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      2 hours ago

      That’s such a silly argument. You want to stop good legislation just because someone might use it wrong. Let me point out the entirety of government to you I guess?

  • _lilith@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    Let’s say they get what they want and put her away for 15 years. That’s right about the same amount of time as a manslaughter charge. They seem to be actively arguing for just shooting the aggressor since the charge is the same.

    The lives of homophobes are worth less by the day.

    • Sunflier@lemmy.worldOP
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      6 hours ago

      The lives of homophobes are worth less by the day.

      Good, the market is starting to realize the value of a homophobe’s life: nothing.

  • spongebue@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    Friendly reminder that SCOTUS, in an opinion authored by none other than Neil Gorsuch, ruled that discrimination by sexual orientation or gender identity is inherently discrimination by sex. If a set of behaviors is allowed by a cisgender person, but their biological sex does not match their gender, you are discriminating by sex.

    Likewise, if Alex’s husband comes to the company Christmas party and that is only acceptable if Alex is short for Alexandra, a woman, your discrimination by sexual orientation is also discrimination by sex.

    A surprisingly brilliant ruling that has yet to be Constitutionally Calvinballed.

  • Canaconda@lemmy.ca
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    20 hours ago

    Selective enforcement has always been their strategy. That’s why all the POC MAGAs think they’ll get a free pass.

    When really one needs look no further than the disparity within cannabis possession sentencing to see that it’s by design.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    Do trans people have rights in conservative strongholds?

    Ask a Nazi if Jews have rights and you’ll get your answer.

  • JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca
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    15 hours ago

    I guess it’s complete victim blaming but what goes through a queer person’s head living in fucking Laramie “tie a gay kid to a fence and abandon him” fucking Wyoming? It’s like a black person moving to a sundown town.

    Edit: I suppose I should have said “Why would you expect any other outcome in Laramie ‘tie a gay kid to a fence, beat him and abandon him’ fucking Wyoming.” Because yea, I don’t know if they were born there or what. It’s just surprising like the sun coming up in the morning.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    19 hours ago

    That story is batshit insane

    Why already would you assault a random woman who isn’t even in your way? They literally had to walk up to her to assault her. Bred hatred.

    Then in the country where everyone has the right to defend themselves, uh huh uh huh…

    All trans people should leave the US. Not because they don’t have a right to live there, but because it’s about to become Taliban territory where they will murder you legally for being different. It’s like Germany, say, 1933. Do you really want tos tixk around? Save yourselves, please