cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/22334414
Summary
Two transgender women, Dahlia and Jess, were attacked at a Minneapolis rail station, with onlookers cheering their assailants instead of helping.
After confronting a man yelling transphobic slurs, the situation escalated into a violent assault involving four or five others, leaving both women unconscious.
Advocates attribute the rise in anti-trans violence to emboldened transphobia fueled by misinformation and political rhetoric, including Donald Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
The local trans community is responding with solidarity rallies, self-defense classes, and firearm training to prepare for a potential increase in attacks.
Police are investigating, but no arrests have been made.
Nobody’s really saying they couldn’t have walked away in the beginning. We’re saying that there’s nothing wrong with addressing verbal abuse, and you should carry a weapon in case you find yourself outnumbered, on the ground, being beaten.
Ffs fill in the gun blank with a weapon you’re comfortable with. Pepper spray, taser, trebuchet, whatever. The point is don’t get caught off-guard by an assault because you asked someone to stop harassing you. They have their friends as backup, I have mine. It’s just my friend’s made of steel.