BY: DM
Published 5 days ago
A summer outing at Austin’s Barton Springs Pool turned violent when a group of men brutally attacked a transgender woman and her friends. News of the assault spread quickly, sparking anger and an outpouring of solidarity across Austin’s LGBTQIA+ community. Friends, strangers, and local advocates mobilized to support the victims and demand justice. Here is a look at how the troubling incident went down.
A trans woman and her friends were attacked in Austin.
On July 26, Barton Springs Pool, a spring-fed swimming spot in Austin’s Zilker Park, turned into the site of a violent confrontation. A transgender woman in her 20s (who has asked to remain anonymous) was relaxing on the pool’s free side with several friends when three unknown men approached. Initially, the encounter seemed friendly — the men flirted with some of the women in the group. But their demeanor quickly shifted once they realized one friend was transgender.
The men began pointing at the trans woman and scoffing that they “don’t support that lifestyle,” according to Chron. The derogatory comment upset the group, heightening tensions and igniting a physical altercation. Offended and alarmed, the women pushed back verbally, and the situation quickly escalated. Witnesses say the three men became increasingly belligerent — shoving members of the group and even jabbing their fingers at the women’s chests in an aggressive manner.
Moments later, the situation turned physical. One of the harassers suddenly swung his fist and punched the intervening bystander — identified by witnesses as a man named Jarod — square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.
“The three men then proceeded to get violent and aggressive, yelling at us and getting in our faces until one of them decided to start swinging and punched Jarod in the jaw, knocking him unconscious,” the trans woman told Chron. “I quickly ran over to him in an attempt to help Jarod out, but was then punched in the face by the assailant in the orange shorts.”
Police are investigating the incident as a “hate crime.”
Witnesses dialed 911. Austin police arrived at the scene around 5:22 p.m. They found Jarod on the ground, being treated by paramedics. The 33-year-old good Samaritan had suffered severe injuries, including deep gashes to his head, a broken jaw, and a concussion. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
Authorities are treating the incident as a potential hate crime due to the anti-transgender harassment involved. According to KUT, the Austin Police Department (APD) noted in its report that an “unknown male” instigated the altercation with a verbal confrontation. The situation then escalated into violence against multiple victims.
“If the Hate Crime Review Committee finds an offense was committed based on a bias or prejudice towards the victim and a warrant is issued or an arrest is made, the Hate Crimes Review Committee informs the prosecutor’s office of their findings,” APD tweeted. As of early August, no arrests had yet been announced. APD detectives have been actively interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, and reviewing tips.
What do you think about the response from local authorities? Are they doing enough to address hate crimes against transgender people?
