More than 200 people filled the plaza of a Minneapolis light-rail station Thursday to chant in support of the transgender community, after a trans woman was brutally assaulted there two weeks ago.
Hundreds rally for transgender woman beaten at Minneapolis light-rail station
The woman was reported to be in stable condition late last week. Two men have been charged in the beating.
March 10, 2023 at 2:57AM
Quintin Branch, a trans woman who attended the rally, told the crowd she wants the woman who was attacked to feel supported, similar to how Branch and others felt after they came out as transgender.
"This is what matters — defending our sister who is in the hospital fighting for her life right now, and showing her that we are here for support," Branch said to the crowd, as many waved blue and pink trans pride flags.
According to the charges against two suspects, Metro Transit officers responded to the Lake Street light-rail station the morning of Feb. 27 after a 911 caller advised that the victim was lying on the floor of the lower-level north tower with "visible brain matter" on the ground. Surveillance cameras at the station captured images of three men beating her and pushing her down the stairs.
Kevin York Jr. of St. Paul and Keaton Morris of Minneapolis were each charged with aggravated robbery and third-degree assault in connection with the attack. Officers "had concerns" the suspects attacked the woman because of anti-trans bias, the charges say. The hospitalized victim was in stable condition at the end of last week, Drew Kerr, Metro Transit spokesman, said Thursday.
Tyler Grant said at the rally that the shock of the attack led many in the local LGBTQ community to want to gather and to push for more protections in law for trans people.
"It's important to make it visible to the rest of the public that we're not going to accept violence against the trans community, especially in a time as politically fraught as this," Grant said.
Rehema Mertinez, a trans woman who organized Thursday's gathering, said she was outraged learning about the attack and wanted to do something about it.
"I just said, 'I'm furious, something needs to happen, and I'm calling on our community to rise up,' and it took off," Mertinez said.
Many in the crowd held signs with messages such as "Trans joy is resistance," and "Celebrate trans lives."
Republican-led legislators in neighboring states including Iowa and South Dakota have recently moved to ban gender-affirming health care. In response, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order Wednesday protecting access to that care, and measures to firm up those protections have been advancing in the DFL-controlled Legislature.
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