Detroit woman charged with abusing daughter for lesbian love letter

Iyesha K. Porter charged with felony child abuse, assault and battery

DETROIT – A 34-year-old Detroit woman is charged with assaulting and abusing her daughter after finding a lesbian love letter between the 15-year-old and another girl.

Iyesha K. Porter was charged with third-degree felony child abuse, and assault and battery by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and the Fair Michigan Justice Project.

Officials said Porter found a love letter between her daughter and another girl on Nov. 11. She signed her daughter out of school, brought her home, and began to hit her, kick her and push her into a wall while calling her gay slurs, police said.

"She grabbed my hair and she was trying to drive, but weaving, and then she let it go and I hit my head," her daughter said.

When they got home, the 15-year-old said it got even worse.

"She said, 'You're not my daughter and you're never going to live in this house again,'" she said.

Detroit police arrested Porter Nov. 11 and her daughter was placed in her father's custody.

"Her daughter was 'too young to be a dyke,'" Donnie Harris, of the DPD, said, quoting Porter. "'She could make that decision when she was older, but not right now.'"

Dana Nessel, president of Fair Michigan, said abuse like this has been swept under the rug for far too long.

"This case is an unfortunate example of the physical and mental harm that LGBTQ youths suffer when their sexual orientation is discovered by hostile family members," Nessel said. "The Fair Michigan Justice Project, in association with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Detroit Police Department, stands ready to aggressively prosecute these brutal crimes committed against members of the LGBTQ community."

Porter was arraigned Nov. 17 and is being held on $5,000 bail.

A probable cause conference was held Nov. 21 and the preliminary examination was scheduled for Tuesday.

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Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.