![]() ![]() Rob Hill, who serves as the state director for Mississippi - where the murder took place - for the Human Rights Campaign said, “There is an epidemic of violence against transgender people, and particularly women of color, across the country, and yet today is the first time a perpetrator will be sentenced under federal hate crimes charges for killing a transgender person because that crime crossed a state line. Mississippi and 19 other states do not include sexual orientation or gender identity as qualifiers for hate crimes. Though the news of Vallum's sentence can be seen as a hopeful sign for the future of transgender rights, some advocates have commented that this case only highlights how far the United States still has to go. As Sun Herald ’s Margaret Baker reports, the teenager, who was from Alabama, was apparently lured to the state to meet her one time romantic partner, Joshua Vallum. “The Justice Department will continue its efforts to vindicate the rights of those individuals who are affected by bias motivated crimes.” “Today’s sentencing reflects the importance of holding individuals accountable when they commit violent acts against transgender individuals,” it reads. This marks the first time a person in the United States has been sentenced with a hate crime against a transgender person.Īttorney General Jeff Sessions released a statement in support of the verdict. It is an act that he casts as a crime of. Joshua Brandon Vallum, 29, of Lucedale, Mississippi, pleaded guilty today to a federal hate crime for assaulting and murdering Mercedes Williamson because she was a transgender woman. Joshua Vallum had murdered Williamson, then only 17, in 2015, and on Monday, he was sentenced to 49 years in prison. Josh, who at the time of his arrest was 28, is currently serving 49 years for the murder of his 17-year-old trans girlfriend Mercedes. In the waning days of President Barack Obama’s administration, supporters of LGBT rights hailed the first federal hate crime conviction for the killing of a transgender woman. Justice was served in the murder case of Mercedes Williamson, a transgender woman who was killed by a former boyfriend. ![]()
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