Men Surround, Attack Trans Woman in Brooklyn

Exiting the subway in Park Slope, a woman is ambushed and beaten by five men.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

May 21 2016 6:40 PM EST

May 21 2016 6:54 PM EST

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A 32-year-old trans woman is coming forward after she was physically assaulted in Brooklyn last week.

The woman, who did not share her name with the NBC affiliate she spoke with, was attacked on May 13 around 11:30 p.m. Leaving the subway, one man suddenly approached her on Ninth Street -- then she was surrounded by four other people, The men, in their late teens or early 20s, called her a slur as she tried to get away. She felt her hair being pulled and then was pummelled by fists in every direction. After the beating, the men took off running. The woman was left with a facial fracture.

The New York Police Department is investigating the attack as a possible hate crime and are looking at surveillance footage of nearby businesses.

"Irregardless, I'm in good spirits," the woman told NBC. "It can be traumatic, but you can't let someone who's hateful get you down."

Transgender women are often marked for violence, especially in urban areas. Just last month, the killer of trans woman Islan Nettles -- beaten to death three years ago in Harlem -- was sentenced to 12 years in prison.