Amber McLaughlin, a transgender woman in Missouri, may become the first openly transgender individual to be executed in the United States.
Unless Governor Mike Parson grants clemency, McLaughlin, 49, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday for the 2003 murder of a former girlfriend.
McLaughlin’s lawyer, Larry Komp, has stated that there are no pending court appeals.
The clemency request, which is currently being considered by Governor Parson, highlights McLaughlin’s difficult childhood, mental health problems, and gender dysphoria, a condition causing distress due to a discrepancy between a person’s gender identity and their assigned sex at birth. These issues were not presented to the jury during McLaughlin’s trial.
The petition cites a foster parent rubbing feces in McLaughlin’s face as a toddler and her adoptive father using a stun gun on her. It also mentions her history of depression and multiple suicide attempts.
However, it is important to note that McLaughlin was convicted of first-degree murder and is facing execution for this crime.
Governor Parson’s spokesperson, Kelli Jones, said the review process for the clemency request is ongoing.
The Death Penalty Information Center, an organization opposed to the death penalty, has reported that there is no known case of an openly transgender inmate being executed in the United States.
