Trans Woman attacked at Barton Springs, Austin, TX – Photo: brigittebandit via Instagram
Austin police are investigating whether an assault on a transgender woman and a male bystander at Barton Springs, a popular Austin swimming spot, was a hate crime. The incident occurred on July 26, when three men began flirting with the woman’s friends and then allegedly harassed her after she approached them.
“They said something along the lines of ‘I don’t support that lifestyle,’ while pointing at me, which upset all three of us,” said the transgender woman, whose name is being withheld for safety and privacy reasons, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.
The men grew aggressive, yelling in the women’s faces, accusing two of them of also being transgender, poking them in the breasts, and shoving them violently, according to a witness who spoke to Austin NBC affiliate KXAN.
A bystander, identified as Jarod, stepped in to defend the women. He and one of the men, described as wearing orange shorts, began tussling when another attacker — described as Hispanic and wearing a cowboy hat with black shorts featuring three white stripes — sucker-punched Jarod from the side, knocking him unconscious. A third man, with long hair and wearing green shorts, also took part in the fracas.
The transgender woman rushed to Jarod’s side to help him, but was punched in the face by the man in orange shorts. At one point, a friend of hers, identified only as “Tokyo,” was shoved to the ground before the men fled the scene.
Austin-based drag performer Brigitte Bandit posted an account of the attack on Instagram, asking followers to help identify the assailants. By Tuesday, Bandit reported they had been identified and that information about their possible identities had been forwarded to Austin police.
Jarod, a construction worker and father, sustained head gashes, a concussion, and a broken jaw that will require surgery, according to his family. A verified GoFundMe campaign to cover his medical expenses raised more than $74,000 — over three-and-a-half times its $20,000 goal. It has since been turned off.
“We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has donated, shared, and supported our family during this incredibly difficult time,” the family wrote in an update. “Your generosity and kindness have meant more than we can put into words…. If you’re still looking for ways to support, we encourage you to consider donating to local organizations that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and anti-violence initiatives.”
The transgender woman at the center of the incident told the Houston Chronicle that Jarod was “an absolute angel.”
“I had never known him before that day, but he stood up for me when I was being harassed and he took the brunt of the assault,” she said. “He deserves every penny to help pay for his surgery and his time off work to take care of himself and his kid.”
Austin police said the case is under review by the department’s Hate Crime Review Committee. If the committee determines the offense was motivated by bias or prejudice, it will notify the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether to pursue bias enhancements along with any assault or other criminal charges.
Police are asking the public to submit photos, videos, and other information about the attack by calling Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS (8477) or visiting austincrimestoppers.org.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a settlement requiring Texas Children's Hospital to establish what he called the nation's first-ever "detransition clinic" for patients who previously received gender-affirming care.
Under the settlement, negotiated with Paxton's office and the U.S. Department of Justice, Texas Children's must provide free medical care to patients who underwent gender transition procedures, according to a press release.
The clinic is intended to help patients stop hormone treatments or seek medical care related to detransitioning. Under the settlement, Texas Children's will fund all services provided through the clinic for its first five years.
An 18-year-old man was arrested at Cedar Point, the storied, decades-old amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, for pulling down the skirt and underwear of a transgender woman.
The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on May 26. According to a Sandusky Police Department report, a security officer was flagged down by a Cedar Point guest, a transgender woman, who said she and a transgender friend were preparing to leave the park when a man approached her friend from behind, grabbed her skirt and underwear, and pulled them down, exposing her buttocks and genitals.
The owner of Portland's Darcelle XV Showplace says a historic plaque honoring the club's listing on the National Register of Historic Places was vandalized with anti-gay graffiti and what he described as "vile hate speech."
Jeremey Corvus-Peck said in a May 15 Facebook post that he discovered the vandalism while visiting the club earlier that day.
The graffiti invoked anti-LGBTQ tropes portraying gay and queer people as child "groomers" or pedophiles, mocked LGBTQ visibility, and called for violence against members of the community.
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