This week read about Rubi Dominguez, who was killed last year in Texas, and a court allowing a university in Utah to discriminate against LGBT students.
Rubi Dominguez: 54th Trans Woman Killed in 2021
Rubi Dominguez was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in Arlington, Texas on July 16 but was misgendered and deadnamed by media outlets that initially reported on her death.
“In an injustice compounding this tragedy, Dominguez was misgendered in some media and police reports. Anti-transgender stigma is exacerbated by callous or disrespectful treatment by some in the media, law enforcement, and elected offices,” the Human Rights Campaign wrote.
Three-quarters of all transgender victims are misgendered by the media or law enforcement.
Dominguez’s death is at least the 54th violent killing of a trans or gender non-conforming in 2021, according to the HRC.
“We say ‘at least’ because too often these deaths go unreported — or misreported,” the HRC wrote.
Monica, Dominguez’s sister, spoke of her pain and called for justice.
“I think whoever was in our place would understand the pain and anger we have,” she said. “Make yourself responsible because it has caused great pain in my family, both emotionally and psychologically. It’s something irreparable.”
The Arlington Police Department is encouraging those with information to contact Crash Investigator S. Bridges at 817-575-8602.
Court Decides University Can Discriminate Against LGBT Students
Brigham Young University. Photo via Facebook.
Brigham Young University removed its ban on same-sex dating from the honor code but continued to enforce the rule, prompting an investigation from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The department found that BYU was exempt from federal anti-discrimination rules because of its religious affiliation.
BYU is a private institution that is sponsored by the Church of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon church.
The university issued a statement saying that the decision was expected “because OCR has repeatedly recognized BYU’s religious exemption for Title IX requirements that are not consistent with the religious tenets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Zachary Ibarra, a gay Mormon and recent BYU graduate, was one of the many people disappointed by the ruling.
“I’m not sure how long we will allow ‘religious liberty’ to supersede the rights of queer people,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune. “I should not be surprised, but it is still deeply disappointing. When will the rights of queer students be upheld to the law without exception?”
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