We all know about the horrific beating that Chrissy Lee Polis endured in McDonalds. Countless articles recounting the incident has been on the Internet, so has the video. It was ghastly, inhumane. It should never have happened. And thank God Chrissy’s assailants have been apprehended and charges have been preferred against them. They should be incarcerated. They should lose rights because of a felony conviction. They brought it on themselves. I feel no compassion for them. The trans community have banded together and protested what happened and have threatened to boycott McDonald’s. Chrissy has been shown love in abundance. And she deserves it.
But you know, people, black transgender women have had the hell beat out of them. It has happened many times. Black transgender women have been murdered because of who they are. So have white trans girls, of course. But that’s not the subject at hand. And when these heinous crimes happened to black trans women, I didn’t see this outpouring of love and assistance.
Or if it did transpire, it certainly was not with the same degree of fervor that is going on with the Chrissy Lee Polis incident.
I’m sure that white trans people orchestrated all the support that has been given to Chrissy. That is because Chrissy looks like them and what happened to Chrissy could happen to them, so they want to help. They want to let violent trans haters know that such savagery will not be tolerated. And that's a damn good thing to put out there.
But remember, there are black trans women who need help too. And black trans women should recognize that we can’t depend on white groups for support or to fight our battles. We are going to have to watch out for our own best interests.
Do not accuse me of suggesting that Chrissy Lee Polis doesn’t deserve love, support and monetary damages for what happened to her at McDonald’s. She most certainly does. Her attackers should be jailed and the miscreant who videotaped it should be charged as an accessory. After all, he watched the beating and warned the attackers that the police had been summoned.
But we need to come to the aid of the Tasha’s and Tanisha’s who find themselves in horrific scenarios like Chrissy Lee's. Tasha and Tanisha need love too.
