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Video after Autumn’s release; h/t Towleroad.
3:25 PM ET. I just heard from Autumn, who has been arraigned and out of jail. I only was able to speak to her for a couple of minuntes. 1) She sounds great, says it would be good to get a shower right about now, and she’s very tired. 2) Lock up, as you would imagine, was horrible, she had trans-epithets tossed at her, and she said that they did NOT follow procedures for handling a transgender detainee.
Also, when she was in court, one of the officers called her an “imposter” – Autumn got the badge number and will be reporting on that later. Another court officer (she didn’t get her number, but can provide a good description of her). I’ll have more later.
28 Comments
Thanks beI was terrified she would be assaulted or worse. So glad to hear she’s safe.
Glad she’s safe!I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: what she and the five other soldiers did was so incredible. I’m glad that she’s free and safe. Now let’s expose those transphobic police officers!
Brave, brave girlI’m glad to hear it! :)
thank heavens!i was worried about her safety. i hope the other 5 are ok as well.
Oh, thanks Pam.All our hugs to Autumn… even before shower!
Thanks for the update!I’ve been worrying about her and am very glad to hear she is safe!
Thank you, AutumnWas afraid for her. Glad to hear she is free and safe now.
Very good to hearI trust everyone else is safe and in good spirits too?
I’m glad she’s safe tooWhen I heard Autumn was taking part, the ONLY thing that concerned me was what would become of her after the inevitible arrest. (Sorry, but that was indeed more important to me than the DADT protest itself.)
Sadly, it looks as though at least part of my fear was realized.
I wonder, though…
Make NO mistake, this is NOT a derision of Autumn but, rather, of the system: Is this what it will take for anyone to pay attention to what happens to trans people in lock-up? Will it take teh arrest of a retired white military veteran – via a protest-centered arrest – who happens to be a trans woman to get anyone to even care? The multitudes of ‘non-perfect’ trans arrestees/inmates will remain invisible?
I am glad that Autumn is alright.A lady who is more patriotic that Sarah Palin is now released from jail. Now we need to free the other patriots like Lt. Choi.
It’s so good to hear Autumn’s okay.And so unsurprising to hear what she had to undergo. We didn’t call them pigs back in the 60s for nothing.
Yay, Autumn!
Cheers for Autumn
It’s a relief she is safeJails seem to be hazardous to the health and well being of trans folks.
As far as the Court Officer disrespecting Autumn, maybe she should have Lambda Legal look into it.
YES.I was also a nervous wreck, but busy with a 320 plus mile day and just getting in.
Snooky called me at one point and told me the news… a huge relief!
Thanks for updates, Pam.
It wasn’t goodAny cisgendered person, gay, bi or straight, treated like that would have a massive ACLU complaint…. but the rules are different for us.
It could have been better – maybe in half of such cases it is better – but it could have been an awful lot worse. She knew that. And went ahead anyway.
I’m glad she’s safe. The odds were that she would be – but some of the possibilities were pretty bad. Every trans person who engages in such a protest has to be made aware of the possible consequences.
Autumn was – but even knowing that she did it anyway.
Me too
Same here.
Thank you Autumn!You exhibited such a display of honor and courage. President Obama, the U.S. Congress and all military commanders should be ashamed of their actions or lack thereof in respect to repealing DADT.
Just as a reminderThis is what trans folk think about in terms of civil disobedience, and why such an effort, by anyone, for any reason, is worthy of at least some recognition:
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/0…
I wouldn’t generalize with the pigs commentThe majority I believe are doing their jobs under very difficult circumstances to protect us – some are even LGBT. Maybe you were targeting just the jerks, and if so I apologize but to me it wasn’t clear.
You’ll also find jerks in the military, but a similar broad condemnation of the military because of that kind of flies in the face of what Autumn and the other brave military personnel are doing here.
Count me as another who was concerned about her Thanks for the status update.
I’ve learned a great deal from Autumn and have grown to have a lot of admiration for her.
Outstanding courage AutumnSomeday when DADT is History….you’ll be there as one of the courageous few.
http://ken-jennings.com/blog/w…
http://www.blackwebportal.com/…
http://www.miketidmus.com/blog…
Autumn’s intentions for the W-H Protest……Its good to hear that Autumn is relatively ok. Any form of incariration sucks, and when you are Trans, you normally bear the brunt of it. Full credit to her for taking such a large risk.
I’ll probably get keel-hauled by somebody for asking this question, though what exactly was/is Autumn protesting? Just DADT or the US Military’s Transgender policies or both? I’m curious given Autumn’s status as a Trans-woman, as well as the fact that nobody has confirmed what exactly she was protesting. If its just DADT, this could be detrimental to the Trans-rights movement long-term if the mainstream media pick up on the fact that Autumn has transitioned, as it could make a lot of people think that Trans-folk would be covered under a repeal of DADT (which its not).
If that comes accross to some people on here as an ill-mannered question to ask, I’m sorry as that isn’t my intention. Its just that its a question well-worth asking given the story and lack of commentary on Autumn’s involvement by Journo’s, bloggers and GetEqual alike.
From their websitethe pledge they ask people to sign “I join with others who are ready to take bold action to demand equality for LGBTQ people. I will not accept excuses, delays, compromises, or empty promises, and I will hold accountable any person or organization who stands in the way. I will push back, rise up, and speak out against all forms of discrimination that plague our community.”
read Autumn’s diaryexplaining her thoughts and motivations:
Autumn’s thoughts about community, activism, and the direct action with GetEqual at the WH today
Interview with AutumnI just saw this interview at the courthouse that includes Autumn over at Towleroad: link.
It’s very simple.“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” -Dr. Martin Luther King.
That’s why Autumn did it, I believe. And because she feels that not only does she share in the injustice, she shares in the solution.
Yes, sister. May I say my rosary now, sister?