MISSING: I saw this story originally in People Magazine and remember it because the circumstances were so unique — Mitrice vanished after telling people she was from Mars and had no prior diagnosis of mental illness. I thought of Anne Heche, I admit, which is why it’s especially interesting to see what People left out: Mitrice’s sexuality. The gay community is turning out to be big advocates pushing the LAPD to find Mitrice.
From SheWired’s “Where’s Metrice? The Search for a Young Lesbian Missing Since September“:
This missing woman case didn’t gain much traction in the media during the first few weeks after her disappearance. She’s young and pretty, but she’s also black, a lesbian, and works part-time as a dancer at a gay nightclub. Nancy Grace et al typically glom onto kidnapping victims of a certain demographic — young, straight, privileged white women. Flipping that script, Richardson’s brilliant smile graced the cover of People on Thursday, along with five other young Americans who disappeared without a trace (though the two-paragraph People piece had no mention of Richardson being gay or dancing at a lesbian club).
Richardson’s father has complained that the LAPD and press have ignored the case and the new clues because his daughter is black. But he commends the gay & lesbian community for being the only ones willing to step up, follow up and pressure authorities and news agencies to find Mitrice. Richardson gets backlash from people who should be helping, telling him that “the Bible says [Mitrice] is going to hell for this; this is God’s way of showing her. My daughter taught me not to pass judgment. One of the quickest
ways to lose Mitrice [as a friend] is to act self-righteous.”
Blogger Jasmyne Cannack has brought excellent attention to the case, which has now caught The Advocate’s eye as well.
Mitrice’s girlfriend of two years is quoted as saying: “Everybody was attracted to her. She’s a very open individual who loves life and fun. She’s very goal-oriented. She wanted to do big things.”
[If you have any information on the disappearance of Mitrice Richardson, contact Det. Chuck Knolls of the Los Angeles Police Department at (213) 485-2531 or click on www.bringmitricehome.org.]
Also look at how cute Mitrice and her girlfriend are:
Other Headlines:
+ National Gay and Lesbian Task Force condemns dismemberment slaying of gay teen in Puerto Rico, and Video from Puerto Rico of Suspect Arrested This Morning. (@tips-q) (@phb).
+ Orthodox Jews are furious anyone thinks they Ok’ed gay marriage. (@queerty)
+ Washington Blade and Southern Voice closure ‘whodunit.’ (@phb)
+ GLAD Files Motion Challenging Govt Motion to Dismiss “Gill”, DOMA Section 3 (@phb)
+ For Gay Couples, ‘Traditional’ Divorce Isn’t Always an Option. (@nytimes)
+ Why the Gay Marriage Message is Misfiring. (@huffpo)
+ The University of North Texas Student Government Association is allowing students to decide if a new rule allowing same sex couples to represent the university as homecoming king and queen needs to be in the bylaws. (@txcn.com)
How dare People not mention Mitrice is a lesbian! How dare they! That is the most important thing about her. Lesbian lesbian lesbian. Mitrice is a lesbian!
It makes me nuts when these stories think they should point out that she is a lesbian. WTF cares! The story should read “Mitrice Richardson, a beautiful, intelligent, college-educated (4.0 GPO) 24-year-old MYSTERIOUSLY disappeared from XXX [I forget the station name but insert that exact name here – out them!] police station!!!!””””
Oh, I’m on a lesbian site. Oh okay. Well lesbian on! Because that detail is so important to point out in every single article because it is all she is about, right????????????
in the case of a missing person it is really important to think about the fact that she is a lesbian. she could have been the victim of a hate crime or been run off because she was a lesbian. She does have a lot of wonderful characteristics (i.e. her GPA, intellect and beauty) but since Mitrice thought being gay was a big part of her life (she even worked at a gay bar) then it should be an important part of her search too.
@BriAndreea – her sexuality is not 100% necessary to point out, nor did I say “People left this detail out, and should have put it in because it is the most important thing about her,” I just said, “People left this detail out, which is interesting.”
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However, it’s important to look at her sexuality when you’re considering why the story wasn’t covered by mainstream media sooner, which is the point SheWired was making which I agree with.
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I also agree with Natasha’s comments — as far as the investigation is concerned, her sexuality is an INCREDIBLY important detail. Now that we’ve heard from her parents, we know that they were supportive of Mitrice, but it’s often relatives or close friends who disapprove of her sexuality that could be suspects or provide clues and furthermore, if she does suffer from mental illness as was suggested by her suddenly erratic behavior directly before disappearing, her sexuality could be a reason why she didn’t seek treatment sooner if there were any warning signs, as lesbians often are scared of therapists and doctors who are not accepting of their sexuality or who see homosexuality as an illness.
Similarly to why the American Medical Association has gone on record against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell – because it’s a critical price of information.