Trans Girl and Her Associates Had been Violently Assaulted at an Austin Swimming Gap

A transgender lady and a number of other mates have been harassed and assaulted in Austin, Texas final weekend, and one bystander who stepped in to defend them was hospitalized, in an incident police are investigating as a doable hate crime.

On July 26, the trans lady — who has requested anonymity throughout the ongoing investigation — and a number of other mates visited Barton Springs, a public swimming gap in Austin’s Zilker Park, as Chron reported Wednesday. During their go to, three males they didn’t know flirted closely with members of the group, the lady informed Chron, however quickly started harassing and pointing at her, making remarks about not “support[ing] that lifestyle.”

The three males then reportedly started shoving members of the group and poking the ladies “near their breasts,” in line with a Reddit user who posted concerning the incident on Monday, claiming to be a pal of one of many victims. At that time, a bystander — recognized as Jarod — intervened, and was attacked himself.

“The three men then proceeded to get violent and aggressive, yelling at us and getting in our faces until one of them decided to start swinging and punched Jarod in the jaw, knocking him unconscious,” the nameless trans lady informed Chron. “I quickly ran over to him in an attempt to help Jarod out but was then punched in the face by the assailant in the orange shorts.” The males then shoved one other of the ladies to the bottom and left the scene quickly after, in line with video footage of the incident posted to social media.

The Austin Police Department (APD) launched a statement on Tuesday stating that the alleged assault was below investigation and might be declared a hate crime by the town’s Hate Crime Review Committee. “APD remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a secure and inclusive Austin community,” the division acknowledged. (Community leaders referred to as for APD to be investigated for excessive force in March this 12 months, after movies circulated on-line that appeared to point out officers throwing a trans lady onto the bottom throughout an arrest.)

Austin-area drag performer Brigitte Bandit posted concerning the assault on Instagram Monday, asking locals for assist figuring out the attackers. In a follow-up post the following day, Bandit acknowledged that the boys had been recognized and the data had been shared privately with the victims. “I will not be posting their information without consent of the people involved in the attack,” Bandit wrote, including, “[l]et’s let them decide which routes they decide [are] best.”