MINNEAPOLIS— The community came together Sunday to support two transgender women who say they were attacked near a light rail station in Minneapolis.
The incident happened on November 10 at Hennepin Avenue and Fifth Street in downtown Minneapolis. It is where community members gathered for a rally on Sunday afternoon, a week after the attack.
Amber Muhm, community leader with Trans Movement for Liberation, said the two trans women were attacked by a group of men at the light rail station after one of the men made transphobic comments.
“No one came to help them. They even said people cheered on the attackers while they were being beaten,” Muhm said.
She said one of them suffered a broken nose from the attack. Minneapolis police confirmed they are investigating the incident, but as of Sunday evening no one has been arrested.
“They need to take action because this keeps happening and it’s ridiculous and unacceptable at this point,” Muhm said.
The couple had moved from Iowa to Minnesota, she said. Last year, Minnesota passed the Trans Refugee Act, which prevents out-of-state laws from interfering with the practice of gender-affirming health care.
“A lot of people are moving to Minnesota and we have been moving since we passed the trans refugee bill, but I think we will see a real spike after the election results,” said DFL Rep. Leigh Finke.
Finke sponsored the bill. She said she has heard from many people in the trans community who are concerned about how this is done a Trump presidency will impact their lives.
“The trans community is resilient and strong and we have always existed. We don’t need permission from the government to live, love and be ourselves,” she said.
Those who spoke at the meeting said the election and the recent attack are fueling renewed fear in the trans community.
“People talk to me about deleting their social media presence and going back in the closet,” one speaker said.
Advocates like Muhm are working to build a strong support system for the trans community so they can get through times of uncertainty together.
“The community here is beautiful. We are building a movement, we will get through this and we will be stronger for it and Minneapolis will become such a beautiful place for trans people to live,” she says. said.
There are several free, anonymous support resources for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including:
