Last September, Ríhanna Kelver was standing outside the Crowbar & Grill in Laramie, Wyoming, preparing to start her bartending shift, when she noticed a group of men across the street. One of them was shouting in her direction, and Kelver heard several homophobic and transphobic slurs as he began approaching her. Moments later, according to court testimony and surveillance footage, the man shoved Kelver to the ground hard enough to injure her tailbone.
Kelver responded by drawing a pistol from her bag, chambering a round, and pointing the weapon at the man who had pushed her. She kept the safety on and never fired. The man and his companions retreated.
Today, Kelver, a 28-year-old trans woman, faces two felony charges—aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent—which could carry up to 15 years in prison. The man who shoved Kelver and who allegedly initiated the confrontation, known only as “S. Durham,” has not been charged.
Killing people for being gay is wrong. But people not knowing about an incident nearly thirty years ago in one of the least relevant states in the US has literally no bearing on people’s morality, just like how you not knowing about the cross burners in my home town has no frame of reference on your morality.
Is that a simplified enough explanation for ya? Because if it isn’t you’re either a troll, obtuse, or so lost in the sauce you’ve forgotten what geographic and temporal relevance is.