If evidence proves that there was no prostitution involved, the question is moot and the motive for this crime goes back to the basics. But the point should remain in all of our hearts and minds that personal safety is our own responsibility *first*. There’s a difference between “straightening up and flying right” and being honest and realistic about the forces of opposition in this world.

The reality is that if he really was a prostitute it will provide more ammunition for those who say he deserved what he got. There will be less sympathy for the victim and more for his killer. Is it right? Absolutely not, but we’re kidding ourselves if we don’t accept the reality of the situation.

Like it or not, some people will find it harder to sympathize with a gay male prostitute who allegedly “tricked” his victim than they would for a young gay man murdered in cold blood simply because of his sexuality. People will use his occupation as a way of justifying the unjustifiable, claiming that a horrendous crime was slightly less horrific.

Does it matter to me? Absolutely not. It is a horrible crime motivated by bigotry. Will it matter to others? Probably, and that’s the real tragedy of this situation.

Either way, I wouldn’t be suprised if he wasn’t a sex worker at all. He might not have even been dressed up in womens clothing, but that might be a ploy for the defendant to somehow make himself seem blameless and still keep his manhood. Its less gay if he thought it was a girl right?

It could have been that he was screwing around with a boy for free and got freaked out afterward and did what he did. We’ll NEVER REALLY KNOW becasue we were’nt there but I do like to speculate

Assuming Mr. Mercado was a sex worker it still doesn’t explain away murder. In my book it doesn’t even explain away judgment. I have always found the idea that sex work would be morally judged to be idiotic at best. Harming another human being is immoral. Sex work that is truly predatory is immoral, but only because of the predatory behavior not because of the sex.

We need to make it perfectly clear to everyone that such judgments are unacceptable.

What’s really striking about the coverage in the linked story is the extent to which some people are insistent on parsing Lopez Mercado’s identity. There are some pretty nasty–and unmerited–attacks on Jennifer Vanasco’s reporting. On what grounds? Nothing that’s been substantiated, but it’s mainly the anger of some people who are convinced there’s an effort to erase a transgendered person, or to show disrespect for that person’s trans status by referring to biological gender. This is bullshit, because it serves as a distraction from the fact that Lopez Mercado seems to have died from either exsanguination or trauma (from dismemberment). The coverage on Pam’s House Blend was really starting to sound like the worst stereotype of super-crunchy-ultra-lefty types who spend their lives taking offense at EVERYTHING. It’s like a form of OCD. If it should emerge that Lopez Mercado did identify as a woman, then I don’t see any reason why most people here would have an issue dealing with her in that space. I gotta say that I get angry and impatient at people jumping to a conclusion and letting that conclusion take up more space than the murder itself. I’m not being insensitive, I’m willing to change my stance *with further info*, but right now that info doesn’t exist. I’m not trying to marginalize anybody, but I’m not interested in parsing minutiae when the primary story is an extraordinarily gruesome murder. If anything, engaging in this debate on gender identity only serves to validate the murderer’s defense, and no way in hell do I wanna join in that party.