The first execution of 2023 in the United States may also end up being the first execution of a trans inmate, but the media emphasis on Amber McLaughlin's identity obscures a more serious issue of how the state of Missouri sometimes allows judges to overrule juries in sentencing.
Today, Missouri plans to execute McLaughlin, 49, for killing her ex-girlfriend, Beverly Guenther, in St. Louis County in 2003. She was convicted under her birth name (Scott) and started her transition in prison three years ago, and as such she is believed to be the first transgender prisoner to face execution (according to the Death Penalty Information Center, DPIC). As such, McLaughlin's LGBT identity and the prison image of her in pigtails is getting a lot of attention.
