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Transgender Massachusetts teen brutally attacked in possible hate crime

Gloucester, Mass.
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Gloucester, Mass.

Jayden Tkaczyk, 16, believes he was targeted for being transgender.

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A 16-year-old transgender boy was severely beaten by a group in Gloucester, Mass., last week, and he believes he was targeted for his gender identity.

The crime happened August 30 in a wooded area where he was hanging out with friends. “One second, I was having fun, the next second, I was on the ground getting my face stomped and beat up,” Jayden Tkaczyk told NBC News.

He suffered “a broken bone in his face, nerve damage, a head injury and bruises all over his body,” NBC reports.

“They were just saying the f slur over and over and over as they were punching me and stomping me,” Tkaczyk said.

“He’s been bullied by these children for years because he’s trans,” said his mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk.

“This has always been my worst fear as a mom of a trans teen, getting that phone call that your son is in the hospital for getting beaten up,” she added.

Jayden Tkaczyk said his assailants were members of the Gloucester High School football team, which he played on as a sophomore. He now is a junior at a different school.

“I played on it for about a week or two before I had to quit because of the threats they were making towards me,” he said. Also, one of the suspects is dating his former girlfriend.

“It’s too early to tell right now” if the beating was bias-motivated, Gloucester Police Chief Edward Conley told NBC, but he said he’s called in an investigator with expertise in hate crimes.

Videos of the beating have been shared widely on social media. “We have access to many videos,” Conley said. “Our detectives are getting evidence sent to them, and they are aware of the social media posts that are out there.”

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.