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News Coverage of South Side Murder

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posted by: Malic

A transfeminine person was found murdered in a South Side neighborhood on Monday. The Chicago Sun-Times coverage of this death can be found here. (Warning: Please do not read this article if the subject matter might be triggering)

The article makes some disturbing assumptions about folks along the transfeminine spectrum, most apparent in the following sentence:

"Investigators do not believe his body was dumped there or that he was a missing person, according to police who said that corner is frequented by prostitutes."

This point insinuates that the victim's death could not possibly be the result of a planned murder because given victim's "female-clothes," Woulard must have been a sex worker, exempt from harassment unrelated to sex work. The sentence also suggests that the murder of sex workers, regardless of their identity, should be expected in their line of work.

I am outraged by the insensitivity with which the Sun-Times has dealt with Woulard's death, the assumption that all transfeminine people as sex workers, and the depiction of sex workers as acceptable targets of crime. I encourage everyone to write the Sun-Times addressing these issues. You can contact the Sun-Times online here.
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