James Van Kuilenburg, a trans teenager, attended a Ted Cruz rally with his mother on Thursday. His goal was to hear what Ted Cruz had to say, but also, as The Frederick News-Post reported, "to show Cruz supporters that rhetoric about gay and transgender rights hurts real people, like him."
The New Civil Rights Movement reported on James's story a few hours after the rally.
James says he and his mother had tickets to the event. He had the transgender flag draped around his shoulders, but was not disruptive or disrespectful. Despite that, Cruz staffers asked them to leave, and did so physically, he says.
James on his Facebook page said that staff members repeatedly "grabbed" him and ultimately "pushed" him "out of the venue." He says they called him "ma'am," and told him he was "trespassing."
The teen spoke with The Frederick News-Post in the video below to explain what happened. He said,
"When trying to explain what had happened to the Cruz volunteers outside, they laughed at us. The level of disrespect and aggression there was outstanding."
Here is the video:
Cheers to this young man for his beautiful and incredibly courage.