transphobic assault in Barcelona

Last Friday, a transexual teenager was assaulted by a group of individuals just at the corner of her house in Barcelona. The nineteen-year-old was called degrading slurs referring to the LGBTQ community and her sexual condition before being punched in the face and trashed around. The police department and the hate crime’s office is already looking into the matter profoundly.

The news came to light when the victim shared an Instagram post condemning the transphobic behavior of the guilty. In the post, she explained the situation and conveyed her fright and rage against it, knowing that she is not the only one and it is not the first time something similar has happened.

The shocking part is that the incident happened on Transgender Day of Remembrance. Each year, on the 20th of November, this day is celebrated memorializing those murdered due to transphobia. This year so far, more than 30 deaths have been reported, according to the Human Rights Campaign. This does not hide the fact that there might still unreported killings that the world is not aware of.

Nevertheless, the world has acknowledged this fact and the post has received more than half a million visits. More than once every year, protests are celebrated around the world, fighting this injustice, defending innocent lives from transphobic aggressors. This means that there is still hope, we just need to come together, helping and supporting transgender people who deserve to enjoy basic human rights.

“This is what has happened to me, but unfortunately it happens to more trans people and it could have been worse, I don’t harm anyone, you don’t have the right to do this, NO MORE TRANSPHOBIA PLEASE, I don’t want to die tomorrow.” - A fragment from the victim’s post.

Sources: El Periódico, Instagram, Human Rights Campaign.