Brandon Teena

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Brandon Teena
Born December 12, 1972(1972-12-12)
Lincoln, Nebraska
Died December 31, 1993 (aged 21)
Humboldt, Nebraska
Cause of death Murder by gunshot
Resting place Lincoln Memorial Park[1]
Nationality American
Other names Billy Brenson
Tena Ray
Parents JoAnn Brandon

Brandon Teena (December 12, 1972 - December 31, 1993 in Lincoln, Nebraska) was a trans man who was raped and murdered.[2][3][4] Brandon was born biologically female but lived as male, making him a trans man; his later life and death were the subject of the Academy Award-winning 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, which was based on the documentary film The Brandon Teena Story.[5]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Childhood

Brandon Teena was born female in Lincoln, Nebraska under the name of Teena Brandon. Brandon's family described him as a tomboy. While Brandon was still living as a girl, he was sexually assaulted by a male relative. According to Brandon's mother, JoAnn Brandon, they sought counseling together in 1991.

Brandon began identifying as male in high school and dated several girls. Brandon's mother rejected Brandon's male identity and continued referring to him as her "daughter." Brandon claimed to be intersex several times, but this was later proven to be false.[6]

[edit] Legal trouble

In 1993, after some legal trouble, Brandon moved to the Falls City region of Richardson County, Nebraska, where he identified solely as a man.

Brandon became friends with several local residents. After moving into the home of Lisa Lambert, Brandon began dating one of Lambert's friends, Lana Tisdel. He also began associating with ex-convicts John Lotter and Marvin "Tom" Nissen. Nissen was married and had two children. Tisdel and Lotter had been friends since childhood and had dated several years before. Another man, Phillip DeVine, began to date Tisdel’s younger sister, and he also became friends with Brandon.

On December 15, Brandon was jailed for forging checks. Tisdel paid his bail. Because Brandon was in the female section of the jail, Tisdel learned that he was biologically female. When Tisdel questioned Brandon about his gender, he told her he was pursuing a sex change operation, and they continued dating.[6] In a law suit regarding the film adaptation Boys Don't Cry, this was disputed by Tisdel.[7][8] Teena's arrest was posted in the local paper under his birthname and his acquaintances subsequently learned that he was anatomically female.

[edit] Murder

[edit] Sexual assault and killing

During a Christmas Eve party, Nissen and Lotter grabbed Brandon and forced him to remove his pants, proving to Tisdel that Brandon was not biologically male. Tisdel looked only when they forced her to, and said nothing. Lotter and Nissen then attacked Brandon, and forced him into a car. They drove to an area by a meat-packing plant and beat and raped him. They then returned to Nissen's home.

Brandon escaped from Nissen's bathroom by climbing out the window and went to Tisdel's house. He was convinced to file a police report, though Nissen and Lotter had warned Brandon to remain silent. The police did not charge anybody due to 'lack of evidence.'

Brandon also went to the emergency room where a standard rape kit was assembled, but later lost. The sheriff at the time, Charles B. Laux, asked Brandon questions about the rape. Reportedly, he seemed especially interested in Brandon’s transsexuality, to the point that Brandon found his questions rude and unnecessary, and refused to answer. Nissen and Lotter learned of the report, and they began to search for Brandon. They did not find him, but three days later the police questioned them. The sheriff declined to have them arrested.

The two men left for Lambert’s house and broke in. They found Lambert in bed and demanded to know where Brandon was. Lambert refused to tell them. Nissen searched and found Brandon under the bed. The men asked Lambert if there was anyone else in the house, and she replied that Phillip DeVine was staying with her. They shot and killed DeVine, Lambert, and Brandon, in front of Lambert's young child. Nissen and Lotter then left, but were quickly arrested and charged with murder.[9]

[edit] Trial and sentencing

Nissen blamed the crime on Lotter. Later, in exchange for a reduced sentence, Nissen admitted to being an accessory to the rape and murder. Nissen testified against Lotter and was sentenced to life in prison. Lotter proceeded to deny the veracity of Nissen’s testimony, but his testimony was discredited. The jury found Lotter guilty of murder and sentenced him to death. Lotter and Nissen both appealed their convictions, and their cases are currently under review.

In September 2007, Nissen recanted his testimony against Lotter. He claims that he was the only one to shoot Brandon and that Lotter was not involved. Lotter is currently appealing and is using Nissen's new testimony to assert his claims of innocence.[10]

[edit] Aftermath

Because Brandon Teena had neither commenced hormone replacement therapy nor had sex reassignment surgery, he has sometimes been identified as a lesbian by media reporters.[11] However, some reported that Brandon had stated that he planned to have sex reassignment surgery.[12]

JoAnn Brandon sued Richardson County and the sheriff, Charles Laux, for failing to prevent Brandon's death, as well as being an indirect cause of it. She won the case, and was awarded $80,000. District court judge Orville Coady reduced the amount by 85 percent based on the responsibility of Nissen and Lotter, and by one percent for Brandon's alleged contributory negligence. This led to a remaining judgment of responsibility against Richardson County and Laux of $17,360.97.[13] In 2001, the Nebraska Supreme Court reversed the reductions of the earlier award, thus reinstating the full $80,000 award for "mental suffering", plus $6223.20 for funeral costs. In October 2001, the same judge awarded the plaintiff an additional $12,000:[14] $5,000 for wrongful death, and $7,000 for the intentional infliction of emotional distress.[13]

Laux was also criticized after the murder for his attitude toward Brandon — at one point Laux referred to him as "it".[15]

In 1999, Brandon became the subject of a biopic entitled Boys Don't Cry, starring Hilary Swank as Brandon in an Academy Award-winning performance, and Chloë Sevigny as his girlfriend Lana Tisdel, in an Academy Award-nominated performance. Lana Tisdel sued the producers of the film for unauthorized use of her name and likeness before the film's release. She claimed the film depicted her as "lazy, white trash, and a skanky snake". Tisdel also claimed that the film falsely portrayed that she continued the relationship with Brandon after she discovered Brandon was not anatomically male. She eventually settled her lawsuit against the movie's distributor for an undisclosed sum.[7][8]

Brandon’s headstone is inscribed with the name "Teena R. Brandon" and the epitaph "daughter, sister, & friend".[1]

[edit] Cultural references

In addition to the film, the British duo Pet Shop Boys released a song called "Girls Don't Cry" (a bonus track on UK issue of I'm with Stupid) about Brandon Teena in 2006.

[edit] See also

LGBT portal


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Teena R. "Brandon Teena" Brandon". Find A Grave. August 28, 2000. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11925. Retrieved on 2007-05-14. 
  2. ^ Note: - as Brandon Teena was never his legal name, it is uncertain the extent to which this name was used prior to his death. It is the name most commonly used by the press and other media. Other names may include his legal name, as well as "Billy Brenson" and "Tena Ray"
  3. ^ "U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals — JaAnn Brandon v Charles B. Laux". FindLaw. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=8th&navby=docket&no=973708p. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. 
  4. ^ Howey, Noelle (2000-03-22). "Boys Do Cry". Mother Jones. http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2000/03/brandon.html. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. 
  5. ^ "The Brandon Teena Story". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144801/. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. 
  6. ^ a b Ramsland, Katherine. "Teena Brandon". TruTV. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/not_guilty/brandon/1.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. 
  7. ^ a b "Brandon film lawsuit settled". Chicago Sun-Times. 2000-03-11. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20071016104201/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20000311/ai_n13848099. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. 
  8. ^ a b Hawker, Philippa (2002-03-01). "Seeing doubles". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/03/01/1014704987942.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. 
  9. ^ Ramsland, Katherine. "Teena Brandon". TruTV. pg 5. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/not_guilty/brandon/5.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. 
  10. ^ Jenkins, Nate (2007-09-20). "Inmate Recants Teena Brandon Story". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hoOQxs6NRwWDwHwhc2pBKhM0wnrQ. Retrieved on 2007-09-20. 
  11. ^ "Brandon Teena Gets Dunne Wrong". Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. January 24, 1997. http://www.glaad.org/publications/archive_detail.php?id=2192. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. "A New Yorker writer does not understand Brandon Teena's transgender identity, and describes him as a "predatory" butch lesbian, referring to him as "her" for most of the piece." 
  12. ^ Griffy, Anna M. (July 4, 2004). "The Brandon Teena Story: Chapter 2: Brandon". The Brandon Teena Story. ustice Junction. 2. http://www.justicejunction.com/judicial_injustice_brandon_teena_chapter2.htm. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. "Teena made her decision for good: she was going to live as a man and began to tell people she was having a sex change operation." 
  13. ^ a b Friedman, Herbert J.. "Brandon - An American Tragedy". Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20071010043900/http://www.friedmanlaw.com/news-teena-brandon.php. Retrieved on 2009-02-22. 
  14. ^ The victims of prejudice, BBC News, 26 December, 2003
  15. ^ Gabriel, Davina Anne (May 15, 1996). "Activists Protest Violence As Lotter Trial Begins". http://www.tgforum.com/docs/brandon.html. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. "Laux has also been quoted as saying "you can call it 'it' as far as I'm concerned" when describing Brandon." 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Teena"
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