How I got Involved

Continuing from the previous post as to exactly how I came advocate for Elizabeth and her friends.......

In February 2006 I had been doing some research on female sex offenders. More specifically, I was interested in women who offend against young children. Actually I use the word "interested" in the broader sense of the term, as what I really wanted to know is what went on the mind of any woman who would or could, do that to a child. Perhaps it had to do with my preconceptions about women, but regardless, I just couldn't make any sense of it. While there are, as of yet, no clear established profile of female child molesters, there are some general characteristics that are fairly reliable predictors or indicators. In a nutshell, women who offend sexually against pre-pubertal children have major league mental health issues, and social adjustment problems. Also, they almost always act alone, and confess readily when caught and confronted. That information comes from a variety of sources, but the main one I used was a report from the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

In the course of my research on specific cases, I came across a woman in Texas named Elizabeth Ramirez. I found some information about her case on the internet. What was really unusual about this case was that it was a multi-perpetrator and multi-victim assault, as well as having other components all of which ran completely counter-current to what the existing research stated about women who offend against children. When I had exhausted what I could find out about the case on the internet, I wrote her a letter. I wanted to get a sense of who Elizabeth was to make sense of the situation. Her response simply increased my confusion, as she seemed to be happy and well-adjusted, and by no means exhibited any of the characteristics that should have been present. She also told me she was innocent of the charges.

Through my contact with Liz I was able to do more research into the case. As the information accumulated it became increasingly obvious that Liz and her co-defendants had a very strong case for their claims of innocence. What I found most disturbing was that the Texas media had completely ignored them. They were convicted on flimsiest of evidence, primarily because they are gay, and it was like they disappeared off the face of the earth once they entered prison.

Because I truly believed they were innocent, and it was obvious that nobody else gave a damn if they rotted in prison, I felt an ethical obligation to do what I could to help them. So I have established the website and this blog, and am advocating on other fronts to earn them the freedom and exonerations they so richly deserve.