Brandon Teena
Teena was born in Lincoln, Nebraska as Teena Renae Brandon. Teena's family described him as a tomboy. While Teena was still living as a girl, he was sexually assaulted by a male relative. According to his mother, JoAnn Brandon, they sought counseling together in 1991. Teena began identifying as male in high school and dated several girls. His mother rejected his male identity and continued referring to him as her "daughter." Later his headstone was inscribed with his birthname and the epitaph "daughter, sister, & friend". Teena claimed to be intersex several times, but this was later proven to be false.
In 1993, after some legal trouble, Teena moved to the Falls City region of Richardson County, Nebraska, where he identified solely as a man. He became friends with several local residents. After moving into the home of Lisa Lambert, Teena began dating one of Lambert's friends, Lana Tisdel. He also began associating with ex-convicts John Lotter and Marvin "Tom" Nissen. Nissen was married and had two children. Tisdel and Lotter had been friends since childhood and had dated several years before. Another man, Phillip DeVine, began to date Tisdel’s younger sister, and he also became friends with Teena. In December Teena was jailed for forging checks. Tisdel paid his bail. Because Teena was in the female section of the jail, Tisdel learned that he was transgender. When Tisdel later questioned Teena about his gender, he told her he was pursuing a sex change operation, and they continued dating. Teena's arrest was posted in the local paper under his birth name and his acquaintances subsequently learned that he was born female.
During a Christmas day party, Nissen and Lotter grabbed Teena and forced him to remove his pants, proving to Tisdel that Teena was transgender. Tisdel looked only when they forced her to, and said nothing. Lotter and Nissen then attacked Teena, and forced him into a car. They drove to an area by a meat-packing plant and beat and raped him. They then returned to Nissen's home. Teena escaped from Nissen's bathroom by climbing out the window and went to Tisdel's house. He was convinced to file a police report, though Nissen and Lotter had warned Teena to remain silent. The police did not charge anybody due to lack of evidence. Teena also went to the emergency room where a standard rape kit was assembled, but later lost. The sheriff at the time, Charles B. Laux, asked Teena questions about the rape. Reportedly, he seemed especially interested in Teena's transsexuality, to the point that Teena found his questions rude and unnecessary, and refused to answer. Nissen and Lotter learned of the report, and they began to search for Teena. They did not find him, but three days later the police questioned them. The sheriff declined to have them arrested.
The two men left for Lambert’s house and broke in. They found Lambert in bed and demanded to know where Teena was. Lambert refused to tell them. Nissen searched and found Teena under the bed. The men asked Lambert if there was anyone else in the house, and she replied that DeVine was staying with her. They shot and killed DeVine, Lambert, and Teena, in front of Lambert's young child. Nissen and Lotter then left, but were quickly arrested and charged with murder.
His life and death were the subject of the Academy Award-winning 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, which was based on the documentary film The Brandon Teena Story.
