Many of the stories I have tracked recently have been, all in all, on the good news side. But you should not be led to think that life for transgender people has all become a bed of roses. There are still people who do not believe we should be seen anywhere in public.
Warren Earls identifies as a trans woman. She's 59 and is used to being verbally abused. But her recent trip on the DC Circulator bus got out of hand.
I got on the bus and sat down behind the bus driver. A group of kids got on -- about seven of them. The one that I noticed started off saying to the rest of them, ‘Isn't it a shame to be old and gay.’
I told him to go ahead and leave me alone and that's when he started cussing and making threats about what he's going to do on me.
---Earls
Earls used her phone to record the incident as she rode the 15 minutes from Southeast DC to Anacostia.
Earls says one of the boys threatened to shoot her.
I was terrified. I had an anxiety attack. That's how threatening it got.
--Earls
As the group exited the bus one of them threw a bottle which struck Earls on the arm.
Meanwhile the driver said nothing and did nothing. This made Earls furious.
[H]e was telling me to go ahead and get off the bus. And I said, ‘I'm not getting off the bus. You’re going to report this.’
It took another passenger to call the police.
Eventually a DDOT supervisor arrived with police.
A spokesperson said the safety of all passengers is DDOT's highest priority and added the allegations are troubling and are being investigated.
Meanwhile in Milwaukee trans woman Chris Tollefson was attacked in a bar because someone wanted her chair.
After the Gay Pride in Seattle a transgender woman was confronted by a man and a woman.
The man asked, "Did you enjoy your parade?" He then punched the trans woman in the face several times while shouting anti-gay slurs.
He ended his assault by yelling,
[Y]ou fucking faggot you, you ought to die and go to hell!
The man was identified by a witness and has been arrested and charged with malicious assault. His female accomplice has not been found.