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In a graphic example of
anti-transgender bias in the nation’s capital, a transgender woman Tyra Hunter
was denied life-saving medical care when rescuers discovered she had male
genitalia. Hunter was severely injured in a hit-and-run accident placing her
in imminent danger of dying when the paramedics arrived on the scene of the
accident. When in the course of administering first aid the paramedics
discovered Hunter’s male genitalia, they ceased assisting her and began joking
and making derogatory remarks about the dying Hunter. Hunter lay untouched for
three to five minutes, when a supervisor finally re-commenced aid. She died at
a local hospital. The victim’s mother was awarded $2.9 million in a wrongful
death suit against the District of Columbia for the city’s failure to provide
life-saving care, yet Fire Chief Thomas Tippett promoted the firefighter found
at fault in Tyra’s death. |