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.
This whole discussion started with several people saying “buy a gun and get into a gunfight.” You’re awfully angry and opinionated about a comment thread you didn’t read.
I can respect someone’s right to exist and also respect the bystanders at the train stations right to not get caught in the crossfire over an argument. Yeah, even one with bigots.
You keep making this about victim blaming. I’m sure that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. But it’s not a real discussion. It’s a way for you to shut down discussion of how to non-violently deal with bigots. Not everyone is prepared to escalate or kill over an argument. And encouraging victimized people to confront their assailants in public for some reason is not making them less likely to be victimized.