Deborah R Ballard

Religious Liberty On Trial Deborah R Ballard

Ted is a transgender girl living as a boy in his second year of college. Ted is a bisexual transgender girl who has been hiding both his preferences and her true self, because she has been so terrorized when she was younger. Although he has used humor and intellect to confuse people, he's desperate to be a girl.

Daisy discovers his secret, provides some support, and brings in Alice to help Ted become Tina, her true self. Alice seeks the help of her mentor, who seeks the advice of Harry Benjamin. The story is set in 1975, and the language used by the characters in dialogue are those used during that period.

Some angry Cadets beat Tina, almost killing her. The evidence is overwhelming, so the defense plans to argue that Tom, the group leader, was exercising his "Religious Liberty."

In this trial, the Defense tries to call many leading famous preachers and tries to argue that the religious right demands the violence, and therefore, the crime is justified and protected by the First Amendment. The prosecution cross-examination of these celebrity preachers challenges the words and actions of the preachers and defendants.

To the shock of the Defense, Tina and her friends are the most persuasive rebuttal witnesses, confronting and challenging the legal, theological, and scientific basis for "Religious Liberty" driven crimes.