Marc Lamont Hill received a GLAAD Media Award over the weekend for an extensive piece he wrote on Ebony.com about CeCe McDonald, the transgender woman who was charged with manslaughter after defending herself from an attack.
Transgender activist and blogger Kortney Ryan Zeigler and actress Laverne Cox presented Hill with the award for his article, "Why Aren't We Fighting For CeCe McDonald?"
"No issue has been more important to me, none has been more special to me than writing about CeCe McDonald," Hill said. "This speaks to the many, many battles we have in front of us as an LGBT community, as an ally community, as a community of people who are struggling to create a world that is more fair, more just, more democratic, and ultimately just more free. We have so much work to do, and I hope that the work that we all do tonight and the work that we do when we leave here will continue to make the world a little bit better and a little bit safer."
McDonald was at a tavern in June 2011 when three people, one man and two women, allegedly began hurling racist and transphobic insults at her. One of the women may have thrown a glass at McDonald, leading to a fight. The man who allegedly was part of the berating was stabbed to death, with McDonald charged with his death. In 2012 she accepted a second-degree manslaughter plea deal, which would mean 41 months in prison for her. Stay tuned for more details.
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