Leslie Feinberg jailed for solidarity with Chrishaun McDonald
Bail posted, still calling for everyone to “Support CeCe!”
Minneapolis, MN – On the evening of June 4, Leslie Feinberg, a renowned transgender activist and author of Stone Butch Blues and Trans Liberation, was arrested for showing solidarity with Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald.
CeCe McDonald is a 24-year-old African American transgender woman who was walking with a group of her friends in Minneapolis on the night of June 5, 2011. As CeCe and her friends walked by the Schooner Tavern, a group of white bar patrons began shouting racist and transphobic slurs at them. One of the women in the group smashed her beer glass across CeCe's face. In CeCe's struggle to defend her life from this violent attack, one of her attackers died. CeCe was quickly arrested and charged with two counts of second degree murder. In May 2012, CeCe accepted a plea agreement to a reduced charge of second degree manslaughter by negligence, and on June 4 she received a 41-month prison sentence. On June 5, 2012, she was transferred to a men's prison in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
Leslie Feinberg is currently being held in the Hennepin County Jail and has been charged with felony property damage. Bail was posted June 6 and supporters are awaiting Feinberg’s release. At 8:30 a.m. on June 7, Feinberg will appear in court for arraignment.
Feinberg has been a vocal supporter of CeCe's, showing deep dedication to raising awareness about McDonald’s case and connecting her fight with broader struggles.
Feinberg was arrested almost exactly a year – within the hour – after the attack against CeCe and her friends that led to CeCe's arrest. Leslie Feinberg and CeCe spent the night of June 4, 2012 in the same jail, before CeCe was transferred to Saint Cloud on the morning of the June 5. Feinberg has been extremely clear that their actions have been in solidarity with CeCe, intended to draw greater attention to the injustice that CeCe is facing.
#MinneapolisMN #LGBTQRights #ChrishaunMcDonald #LeslieFeinberg