Video of the beating of an Alpine High School student in Alpine, Texas – Photo: CBS7/KOSA.
A video from a cell phone that has been making the rounds on social media shows a transgender student at Alpine High School being attacked by a fellow classmate.
In the video, the classmate, who appears to be wearing a sports jersey of some kind, is seen wrestling the student to the ground and repeatedly punching him.
The victim, who spoke with the Odessa, Texas-based CBS affiliate KOSA, says the attack was unprovoked, and began after the attacker cussed at him, and then began shoving and punching him in the face while two of the attacker’s friends laughed.
“[H]e said it’s because he didn’t like me and he didn’t like who I was, that I just pissed him off,” the victim, whose name is being kept confidential for his own safety, said.
Even though the video has been viewed thousands of times, there are no consequences for the aggressor because the attack occurred off school property on a weekend.
Alpine Independent School District Superintendent Becky McCutchen says that, for those reasons, there’s nothing the district can do unless the police make an arrest.
“People need to understand this happened off campus and the school district, we’ve done everything we can to ensure the safety of all our students,” McCutchen said in defense of the school district. “And never would we condone something of that matter.”
But the victim says he’s been bullied and frequently harassed at school, even after the attack.
“I had kids pretty much saying that I deserve to be dead and that he should have killed me,” he said.
He adds that he doesn’t feel safe at school, and believes it’s only a matter of time before he again is targeted because of his gender identity.
“It’s definitely going to happen again,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.”
A new rule from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could effectively criminalize transgender people who attempt to buy firearms, raising concerns about their ability to exercise Second Amendment rights.
The move stems from an executive order by President Donald Trump declaring that the federal government will recognize only two sexes -- male and female -- based on biological anatomy at birth.
Under the change, all gun buyers would be required to list their sex assigned at birth on purchase paperwork, even if they have legally changed their gender or undergone gender confirmation surgery. That would force transgender people to either "out" themselves or risk lying on a government form -- a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or up to 10 years if the lie is deemed "material" to the sale.
The Tennessee State Senate has approved a bill requiring clinics to report detailed data on patients receiving gender-affirming care, a move critics warn could enable the state to track transgender people and the doctors who treat them.
The measure requires all gender clinics in Tennessee to submit monthly reports to the Department of Health on patients who receive transition-related treatments or surgery. The state would then publish annual reports based on that data.
The reports would exclude patients’ names but include details such as age, sex assigned at birth, prescribed medications, and the dates prescriptions were written or surgical referrals made. The requirement would apply not only to those receiving gender-affirming care, but also to patients seeking treatment for side effects or those who later experience "regret" and pursue "detransition."
The Montana Supreme Court upheld a lower court order blocking the state from enforcing policies that prevent transgender people from obtaining identity documents that reflect their gender identity.
In 2021, Montana lawmakers passed a law restricting transgender people from obtaining birth certificates that reflect their gender identity unless they provide a court order showing they have undergone gender confirmation surgery. Two transgender people challenged the law, and a district judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking its enforcement.
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