Lana Tisdel is the Falls City, Nebraska, woman who was dating Brandon Teena at the time of his murder, testified for the prosecution at John Lotter’s capital trial, and later sued the makers of the 1999 film Boys Don’t Cry over her depiction in it. Her name is attached to the case because she was present for the Christmas Eve 1993 confrontation that exposed Brandon as anatomically female, and because Hollywood put a version of her on screen six years later.
Her Relationship With Brandon Teena
Brandon Teena, born Teena Renae Brandon, had been living in Falls City and Humboldt, Nebraska, since mid-November 1993, presenting as male and dating Tisdel. On the evening of December 24, 1993, at a party at Thomas Nissen’s home, Tisdel and Brandon were in a bathroom when Nissen and John Lotter confronted them and forced the revelation that Brandon was biologically female. Tisdel later told police she had been in a sexual relationship with Brandon while Brandon was presenting as male, and that she was “upset and distraught” upon learning Brandon’s biological sex.1GovInfo. Lotter v. Houston, Memorandum and Order
After the bathroom incident, Lotter and Nissen raped Brandon. Six days later, in the early morning of December 31, 1993, the two men drove to a farmhouse one mile south of Humboldt and killed three people: Brandon, 21; Lisa Lambert, 24, who lived there; and Phillip DeVine, 22, a physically disabled man who was staying at the house.2The New Yorker. The Humboldt Murders
Her Testimony at John Lotter’s Trial
Nissen took a plea bargain, agreeing to testify against Lotter in exchange for the state not seeking the death penalty against him. He was convicted in March 1995 of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.2The New Yorker. The Humboldt Murders
At Lotter’s trial, Tisdel gave the jury a piece of evidence that spoke directly to premeditation. She testified that on December 30, 1993, the day before the killings, she was at home playing a game with her brother Terry Torrence and her sisters when Lotter came downstairs and said, “I feel like killing somebody.” Her brother’s testimony corroborated her account.3FindLaw. State v. Lotter Her account of the Christmas Eve bathroom confrontation and her relationship with Brandon also formed part of the factual foundation the prosecution relied on.
Lotter was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony, and one count of burglary. In February 1996, he was sentenced to death for each of the three murders, and the Nebraska Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentences in November 1998.3FindLaw. State v. Lotter
Her Lawsuit Against the Makers of Boys Don’t Cry
The 1999 film Boys Don’t Cry, directed by Kimberly Peirce and released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, dramatized Brandon Teena’s relationship with a character based on Tisdel, played by Chloë Sevigny. The film drew wide acclaim and won Hilary Swank an Academy Award for her portrayal of Brandon. Tisdel objected to how she had been depicted.
She filed suit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against Fox Searchlight, Peirce, co-writer Anthony Bienen, producer Christine Vachon, and others, alleging defamation and invasion of privacy. The complaint claimed the film used her real name without payment and portrayed her as “lazy,” “white trash,” and a “skanky snake,” and that the portrayal had caused her to be “scorned and/or abandoned by her friends and family.” She sought unspecified monetary damages. The suit was filed by attorney Charles M. Coate.4Los Angeles Times. Lana Tisdel Sues Over Boys Don’t Cry
Fox Searchlight called the lawsuit “groundless.” Peirce said Tisdel had signed a release and cooperated with the project.4Los Angeles Times. Lana Tisdel Sues Over Boys Don’t Cry
Her Appearance in The Brandon Teena Story
Before the feature film, Tisdel appeared on camera in the 1998 documentary The Brandon Teena Story, directed by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir. In it she discussed her relationship with Brandon and her reaction to discovering he was biologically female.5The New York Times. The Brandon Teena Story Review
Where She Fits in the Broader Case
Tisdel’s involvement is bounded. She was not a plaintiff in the civil action that Brandon Teena’s mother, JoAnn Brandon, brought against Richardson County and Sheriff Charles Laux over the failure to arrest Lotter and Nissen after Brandon reported the rape; that case, which the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled on in 2001 and again in 2002, was pursued by Brandon’s estate.6Lambda Legal. Brandon v. Richardson County7FindLaw. Brandon v. County of Richardson (2002) She likewise plays no role in the post-conviction proceedings that have kept Lotter on Nebraska’s death row, including Nissen’s later sworn recantation claiming he, not Lotter, fired the shots, and Lotter’s federal habeas petition, which was dismissed with prejudice in 2011.8NBC News. Nissen Recants Testimony in Brandon Teena Murder Case1GovInfo. Lotter v. Houston, Memorandum and Order
Her place in the record is what she witnessed, what she testified to, and what she went to court over herself.