Activism and Snaps

Cis Woman Who Bashed CeCe McDonald Charged

muckrakingiswomenswork:

A Minneapolis [cis] woman is charged with starting a fight outside a bar last year that left a friend of hers dead and led to murder charges against Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald, in a case that became a rallying point for the transgender community.

Molly Shannon Flaherty, 41, was charged May 11 with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm, both felonies, for allegedly smashing a glass in McDonald’s face outside the Schooner Bar in Minneapolis on June 5.

The Washington County attorney’s office is handling the case to avoid a conflict of interest because Hennepin County prosecutors charged McDonald with second-degree murder for stabbing Dean Schmitz, 47, in the melee.

McDonald, who is [a] transgender and lives as a woman, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter May 2 and is expected to be sentenced to three and half years in prison. For months before the plea, McDonald’s supporters protested the charges.

Flaherty and Schmitz were among a group smoking cigarettes outside the bar just after midnight when McDonald and friends walked by, the charges said. Schmitz allegedly began hurling racial, homophobic and transgender slurs at McDonald’s group, who then confronted Schmitz, the charges said.

A fight began when Flaherty allegedly threw or pushed a bar glass in McDonald’s face, causing a gash that required 11 stitches. A witness not with either group reported seeing Flaherty on the ground and Schmitz trying to pull people off her and out of the fight. The witness then saw Schmitz step backward, hold his hand up to his shirt and say, “You stabbed me.” McDonald allegedly said, “Yes, I did,” and walked away.

In a statement, Washington County Attorney Peter Orput said charges against Flaherty were delayed because McDonald did not speak to investigators before her trial. Once she entered a plea, the case moved forward.

Flaherty was booked into the Hennepin County jail May 15. She was released the next day on $15,000 bail. She did not immediately return a telephone message for comment.

(By Abby Simons, Star Tribune)

so the state is gonna prosecute and present the case against CeCe’s initial but not only attacker - the initiator of violent group assault proving CeCe was acting in self defense AFTER she’s been sent to prison for that very act of self defense…fascinating…and by fascinating i mean nauseating cause WE CAN SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOING HERE. on a more vicious note…i hope to fuck those really were that piece of shit’s last words…

(Source: transfeminism, via bad-dominicana)

In Community and In Resistance: What is Self-Care?

fatfashion:

communityandresistance:

Wikipedia defines self-care as, “personal health maintenance…Self care includes all health decisions people (as individuals or consumers) make for themselves and their families to get and stay physically and mentally fit.”

The way that I incorporate self-care into my own life is geared more towards caring for my mental health, as it seems to be for most of my followers. Oftentimes, however, taking care of myself physically can lead to reduced stress and an improved mental state.

When I start to become very depressed or anxious, I know it’s time to engage in my self-care routine. This is, firstly, to prevent it from getting worse, and then to give myself the strength to move past those feelings / that state of mind. 

In my own words, I would say self-care is the personal work I do away from therapists and institutions to preserve and care for my mental state. Self-care, for me, also ties into self-love. Believing that self-care is productive and important has led me to take better care of myself, and that has increased my self-esteem and self-worth. 

Examples of the self-care I regularly partake in :

• journaling
• knitting
• embroidery (just started this with a best friend!)
• taking a walk
• eating food that makes my body feel good (that sometimes means fruit and vegetables and it sometimes means taco bell — just depends on how I’m feeling!)
• music — listening to it, making it
• tumblr — seriously! i follow so many self-love and self-care oriented blogs, and reading them energizes me and reminds me that my state of being is important and worthy of time and care
• watching a comforting / funny / witty movie
• dressing up in clothing and makeup that makes me feel good
• cutting myself a break — reminding myself that I am just as important as work, school, and friends, and that I deserve to invest time in myself 
• calling a friend who understands self-care and depression and enlisting their help

Those are just a few!

Here are some additional resources discussing what self-care is tips for incorporating it into your routine :

• 50 Ways to Practice Great Self-Care Without Spending a Dime
• The Importance of Self-Care and Stress Management
• Self-Care Tips
• 70 Ways for Self-Care
• Twenty Five Self Care Tips that Oprah Didn’t Give You
• 25 Self-Care Tips for Body & Soul

Needing to do some of this.