OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) —
- Brandon Teena was a transgender man who was murdered in Humbolt, Nebraska — along with Phillip De Vine and Lisa Lambert — in 1993.
- Brandon was targeted for being transgender and his death inspired the documentary "The Brandon Teena Story" as well as the Hollywood feature film, "Boys Don't Cry," for which Hilary Swank won an Oscar.
- Video shows interviews with author Ryan Sallans, who documented his own transition from female to male in 2005, and the filmmakers who made "The Brandon Teena Story. There is also archival footage from the '90s following the triple homicide.
- "The Brandon Teena Story" is available to stream on FreeVee, iTunes, Tubi TV and more.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
New Year’s Eve marked the 30th anniversary of a Nebraska crime story that captivated the nation in the 1990s and inspired the Oscar-winning film, Boys Don't Cry.
I’m your neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel and I took a look back at the murder of Brandon Teena, a transgender man from Lincoln who was killed along with friends Phillip De Vine and Lisa Lambert in Humbolt, Nebraska.
Twenty-one-year-old Brandon Reena grew up in Lincoln. He was killed by two Richardson County men because of his transgender status.
Author, speaker and educator Ryan Sallans transitioned from female to male almost 20 years ago. He spoke to me from his hometown of Aurora, Nebraska. While there are still challenges – Sallans says Brandon’s death did lead to positive change.
SALLANS: “His death has an ongoing impact for the community today – around the nation…looking at the research and history of transgender Americans, that death brought us back out from being in the underground.”
Documentary filmmaker Susan Muska saw victim-blaming in the sensationalized newspaper coverage at the time.
MUSKA: “I thought, ‘Oh my god’, you know, they’re saying that this person somehow, it’s like, ‘You wear a skirt you can get raped.’ This person is technically female but dressing as a male, so, therefore provoking this kind of anger and hatred that can lead to murder.”
Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir released their film – “The Brandon Teena Story” – just over 25 years ago, about a year before “Boys Don't Cry."
OLAFSDOTTIR: “There was not much representation of gay life – if one can use that - at the time, so um, so this was kind of the source that, in a way, brought the lives of a huge part of the population that otherwise you never heard anything about.”
Sallans says it’s easier to be transgender these days but…
SALLANS: “Hate crimes against transgender people continue to be high. With the highest numbers against transgender women of color … It could still happen. So my goal is to continue to educate with the hope that it doesn’t happen again, but…you know.”
Muska and Olafsdottir spoke to me from France, but have maintained their Nebraska connections. They’re working on a follow-up film and were impressed by Nebraska’s youth protesting legislative bills last spring.
MUSKA: “It was pretty amazing to see just in general, general student populations rallying in support, even parents. When Brandon was killed that kind of support and that kind of visibility just was not present.”
SALLANS: “I think that’s one of the reasons people try to suppress that community so much is because the community is showing self-empowerment and liberation. And people don’t like that.”
I asked Susan and Greta if they’ve seen progress since the ‘90s.
MUSKA: “Oh, yeah, things are a lot better. I wouldn’t say we’re back at square one by a long shot because there’s so much visibility.”
“The Brandon Teena” story is available to stream on the FreeVee app.
In Omaha, I’m your neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel
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