Selena Reyes-Hernandez probably thought she was having a pretty good night. She met Orlando Perez on the night of May 30th. They went back to her place around 5:30am and, for some reason, Perez asked her if she was really a woman. She told him that she was trans, and he left.
He returned to her home around 6am, shot her in the head & back, & left her for dead.

He came back again, to shoot her lifeless body several more times.

When detectives asked him why he returned & shot her dead body, he told them that he couldn’t get her face out of his head.
Apparently, the two were never intimate. Orlando Perez was so insecure, that even the thought of spending time with a transwoman created enough rage in him to brutally murder her.
The data shows us that violent crime disproportionately affects transwomen, and even more disproportionately transwomen of color.

To add insult to injury (or murder), these crimes are significantly underreported because local police often misgender the victims.
Transwomen are placed at greater risk of violence because they are often fired from or refused employment, frequently leading to poverty, homelessness, depression, & prostitution.

Transwomen are marginalized, and, due to anti-trans biases, frequent victims of violent crime.
As Libertarians, we believe in the autonomy of the individual, and we reject the kind of bigotry and collectivization that would lead someone to be so filled with hatred that they end someone else's life, simply for who they are.
Selena was a person, had a life, and deserved to live it.

She wasn’t less-than because of her gender. She had value.

She was killed because of who she was.

Her name was Selena Reyes-Hernandez.
You can follow @RealSpikeCohen.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: