Brandon Teena
His murder exposed both anti-trans violence and the consequences of a sheriff’s failure to protect him.
Brandon Teena was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1972. As a young adult he lived as a man and moved to Falls City in 1993, where he formed friendships and began a relationship.
That December, John Lotter and Tom Nissen discovered that he had been assigned female at birth. They assaulted and raped him. Brandon reported the attack, but Sheriff Charles Laux subjected him to a hostile interview and failed to provide protection or promptly arrest the men.
On 31 December 1993, Lotter and Nissen murdered Brandon, Lisa Lambert and Phillip DeVine at Lambert’s farmhouse near Humboldt. Both men were convicted of murder. Brandon’s mother, JoAnn Brandon, pursued a civil case over the sheriff’s conduct and the county’s failure to protect him; the Nebraska Supreme Court later upheld important aspects of the county’s liability.
The documentary “The Brandon Teena Story” (1998) and the feature film “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999) brought his story to wider audiences. Hilary Swank won an Academy Award for the latter. The case became a central reference in campaigns against anti-trans violence and for better police protection.