Kind of suspicious how she was a victim of police brutality (caught on film), complained about it and is now dead. Coincidence? I hope they thoroughly investigate this.

I find it odd that this girl has become yet another statistic.It has all the makings of an "inside job" of a who dunnit mystery.Will they ever find the perpitrator of the horrible crime?.My heart goes out to family and friends. My Best

I hope that the Sheriff isn't too busy investigating how the beating video got leaked, and the Police Director isn't too busy suing bloggers, to bring justice to this case.

By the end of this decade our city will have seen nearly 1,700 murders. Not includeing the rest of the metro. Something is very wrong here. This is another statistic for this ridiculous excuse of a city. How many people will be murdered or injured in a shooting or stabbing this week? There were 3 shot in one house last night while children were present. I saw a bumper sticker the other day with a childs face on it that said "don't shoot". Rest in peace Duanna, my thoughts are with you.

Correction, nearly 1500 murders this decade.

V-8 Power - that depends. Often the family has completely disowned the individual concerned, often throwing them out on the streets at age 14 or younger. They usually insist on a suit - if they can be bothered. Others have parents who are merely estranged, and they may want a dress for their daughter. While people like you exist, Transsexual women will continue to be murdered at a rate 17 times the national average (compared to 3 times the average for young urban male blacks). There's now a mountain of evidence that Transsexuality is a biological condition. Male and Female brains differ, you can see that in autopsies and fMRI scans. Transsexuals have cross-gendered neurology, quite literally male brain in female body, or the reverse. You can see that in autopsies and brain-scans too. It's just another variety of Intersex condition, where people are born a mix of male and female in their bodies. So yes, people like Duanna *are* "freaks", as are the congenitally blind, albinos, those with spina bifida, or cleft palates. Not as freakish as some though, those born with 5ARD or 17BHDD, who look female at birth but masculinise later. The reverse happens too, but is much rarer, only about 1% of all natural sex-changes are Male to Female. I'm one of that tiny minority, by the way. Like Duanna, I knew I was a girl at age 10. Unlike her, I looked far too masculine - yes, even more than she did - so tried living with it. It wasn't until age 47 that my body changed, and the medics re-classified me as a severely androgenised female rather than an undervirilised male. The relief of not having to live a perverse lifestyle to conform to societal expectations, and not run the risk of violence, was indescribable. Most people don't know we exist - it's not exactly a common topic of conversation over breakfast. Most of us are able to hide, and do so, because there are far too many people like you out there. Some not all talk, some see it as their Duty To Cleanse Society Of Subhuman Filth. My change was particularly rapid, I got the variant where it happens over 3 months not 3 years (and is usually fatal - the human body is not set up to change that fast). I couldn't hide, not when my colleagues and co-workers could see the differences from day to day. And as I'm in far-off Australia, it's safe for me to comment about views like yours, I'm unlikely to be executed like Duanna was, with a single gunshot to the head.

I am a transsexual who is from Memphis. I would just like any LGBT Memphians to know how good it was for me to move away from Memphis. Basically any big metropolis, with good jobs, big skyscrapers, and diverse populations will do. In Seattle, for example, bigotry and hate crimes are not tolerated. There are places you can go where your uniqueness is an asset, rather than a big target on your head.

to V-8 I bet you are the type that sends those "God Bless America" and "In God We Trust" emails to people and then posts a hateful message about this poor soul. God help you.

Home for sexual deviates. SEATTLE - When it comes to public nudity, Seattle may be the most liberal city in the country, but a number of organized, naked bike rides prompted the parks department to reconsider nudity on beaches and city parks. But Thursday night, the city's parks board refused to ban non-offensive public nudity despite some complaints from the public.

Yes, Seattle is such a cesspool of deviants and sin, isn't it? naked people, how disgusting. FYI, many folks have got past all the baptist preacher inspired fear of hellfire and damnation. You apparently haven't.

V-8: God Bless you. And poor Duanna. When will people grow up and just let other folks be?

Whoops! That last should have been addressed to Zoe! Bless you Zoe!

This could be the plot for my next Memphis novel.

I'm not in favor of police brutality. Nor am I in favor of prejudices in general. I think both are terrible. But I will say that I am also against idiocy, and though I am by no means some average joe, I understand that it behooves any given individual to show discretion with said individuality. By broadcasting something proudly (or perhaps foolishly) that society in general shuns and despises, you open yourself up to this sort of horrible mistreatment. Is it right? Heck no. Is it the way things are. Absolutely. Use your brain, show discretion in everyday life.