CeCe McDonald

I’m not going to make a long post on this because this article is better at explaining the details of who CeCe is, and why she’s now imprisoned for manslaughter despite defending herself during a hate crime attack. Before I say anything, I also want to bring to your attention this legal brief explaining that the judge in CeCe’s case is married to the assistant county attorney. This is not just a minor problem. It’s a breach of the justice system. With the cards stacked so heavily against her, CeCe was forced to take a plea bargain.

For self-defense from men who were trying to kill her while shouting “faggot” and “nigger.” This case should have never gone to trial. The charges should have been dismissed. If we lived in a rational world, CeCe should be talking to the mayor and getting some kind of merit award for her bravery in the face of certain death.

But CeCe is trans, and she’s black, and we don’t live in a rational world. So CeCe now looking at a 41 month sentence for defending herself. The message to the trans community couldn’t be more clear: if you’re attacked by a group of men, kindly lay down, shut the fuck up, and drop dead.

I’ll be following CeCe’s story if anything comes of the motion filed against the judge, but for now, CeCe is trapped and dealing with an inhumane punishment. She needs some support, and she needs to know she’s not alone. So, I don’t ask y’all to do anything too often, but I’m asking you to visit this link and take down the address to write directly to CeCe. Let her know that you care, and that she hasn’t been abandoned by everyone. You don’t have to send gifts, since packages will just be returned anyway. Just send a short letter expressing your support.

And if I can get you to do one more thing, please write to the governor of Minnesota to let him know about CeCe’s case. If enough people write in, perhaps we can swing a pardon for CeCe even if her case isn’t overturned via other legal maneuvers.

Like I said, I don’t bug you folks to get out there and do things for other people, but this case is extremely upsetting to me because it never should have gone this far. If a white cisgender woman fought off her attackers and killed two of them, her story would be heading to Lifetime for a movie of the week. It isn’t fair that because of CeCe’s lower social status, she’s bounced through a kangaroo court and serving time for self-defense. If this seems as disgusting to you as it is to me, then please, help Cece with a couple letters.

Thank you.

EDIT: If, like me, you cannot use the governor’s contact form because you are outside the US, here is the regular mail address:

Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155