Journal of Other Forum Analysis (Volume II, Issue 1)

[benji]

I actually looked it up, and first of all here's all of what Norm said:

And finally, in Falls City, Nebraska, John Lotter has been sentenced to death for attempting to kill three people in what prosecutors called a plot to silence a cross-dressing female who had accused him of rape. Now, this might strike some viewers as harsh, but I believe everyone involved in this story should die.

But we should go back further since we know Norm wasn't mocking just this, he clearly had all of the events in mind:

During a Christmas Eve party, Nissen and Lotter grabbed Teena and forced him to remove his pants, proving to Tisdel that Teena had a vulva. Tisdel looked only when forced to and said nothing. Lotter and Nissen later assaulted Teena and forced him into a car. They drove to an area by a meat-packing plant in Richardson County, where they assaulted and gang-raped him. They then returned to Nissen's home, where Teena was ordered to take a shower. Teena escaped from Nissen's bathroom by climbing out the window and going to Tisdel's house. He was convinced by Tisdel to file a police report, though Nissen and Lotter had warned Teena to "keep her mouth shut or they'd permanently shut it for her." Teena also went to the emergency room, where a standard rape kit was assembled but later lost. Sheriff Charles B. Laux questioned Teena about the rape. Reportedly, he seemed especially interested in Teena's transgender status, to the point that Teena found his questions rude and unnecessary and refused to answer. Nissen and Lotter were taken in for police questioning. Despite ample evidence, Laux neglected to arrest and charge Nissen and Lotter, and Laux told them both a rape had been reported.[18] Laux declined to have them arrested because, "What kind of a person was she? The first few times we arrested her, she was putting herself off as a guy."[14] Teena's mother later filed a wrongful death suit, where the Nebraska Supreme Court found Laux's inaction resulted in Teena's death (see § Cultural and legal legacy for more information).[14]

Around 1:00 a.m. on December 31, 1993, Nissen and Lotter drove to Lambert's house and broke in. They found Lambert in bed and demanded to know where Teena was. Lambert refused to tell them. Nissen searched and found Teena hiding under a blanket at the foot of the bed. The men asked Lambert if there was anyone else in the house, and she replied that Phillip DeVine, who at the time was dating Tisdel's sister, was staying with her. The duo then shot Teena in the stomach.[19] Nissen testified in court that he had noticed that Teena was twitching, and asked Lotter for a knife, with which Nissen stabbed Teena in the chest, to ensure that he was dead.[20][21] Nissen later testified that he shot Lambert in the stomach. After leaving the room to find DeVine, and then returning with him, Nissen shot Lambert a second time. The two men then took DeVine into the living room, sat him on the couch, and shot him twice. Nissen then returned to the bedroom where he shot Lambert a few more times. The two men then left, threw their weapons and gloves onto a frozen river, and returned to Falls City. They were arrested that afternoon, after which Nissen told deputies that he had witnessed John Lotter shoot three people to death in Humboldt. Police went to the river, where they retrieved the gloves and weapons, including the knife's sheath marked with Lotter's name, tying them to the crime.[19]

Now, you might be asking, why were they proving to Tisdel that Teena had a vulva?

In 1993, after some legal trouble, Teena moved to the Falls City region of Richardson County, Nebraska, where he presented as a man. He became friends with several residents.[7] After moving into the home of Lisa Lambert,[6][7] Teena began dating Lambert's friend, 19-year-old Lana Tisdel,[6][7][14] and began associating with ex-convicts John L. Lotter (born May 31, 1971) and Marvin Thomas "Tom" Nissen (born October 22, 1971).[6][7]

On December 19, 1993, Teena was arrested for forging checks; Tisdel used money from her father to pay Teena's bail.[15] Because Teena was in the female section of the jail, Tisdel learned that he was transgender. When Tisdel later questioned Teena about his gender, he told her he was a hermaphrodite pursuing a sex change operation, and they continued dating.[12][13] In a lawsuit regarding the film adaptation Boys Don't Cry, this was disputed by Tisdel.[16][17] Teena's arrest was posted in the local paper under his birth name and thereupon his acquaintances learned that he was assigned female at birth.[14]

Now, unlike Caraballo and most trans activists I believe that raping or murdering anyone for any reason is wrong. But also unlike them I also believe that dishonesty is wrong. (As well as forging checks just so we're clear.) Does this make Brandon at fault for their rape and murder? Of course not, but if we're trying to understand why something happened it's relevant information. (Also this is another case where a homosexual determined that homosexuality is wrong so they must be the wrong gender.)

Can I also note that two other people were shot in this story and they were also mentioned in Norm's joke? Why aren't we outraged that he said they should die too?