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“Just in the short few seconds that we have, it was horrendous, it was horrific.”
A transgender high school sophomore in Washington is recovering from concussion symptoms following an alleged transphobic attack by fellow students caught on video. The video has since gone viral, and the victim’s mother wants to know why police and school officials have not come down harder on her child’s alleged attackers. The school defended its actions and noted the attack took place off campus but disputes that the alleged assailant is a current student.
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Alyssa Ruben said her child was attacked a block from Bellingham High School in Bellingham by a group of students on October 22. The student said the attackers yelled transphobic slurs while shoving and hitting them. The victim told Ruben about what happened, who told local ABC affiliate KOMO News she contacted the school and demanded that they call the police.
Police are investigating the incident as malicious harassment and a hate crime.
Ruben said their child is still seeking medical treatment for ongoing concussion symptoms from the assault.
“It’s not over and if they have a traumatic brain injury, the effects could be lifelong,” Ruben said.
Ruben brought awareness to the issue online and said she was disturbed to learn that videos of the attack were going viral locally on social media. At least one viewer was reportedly able to download a video and turn it over to police as evidence in the case.
Lance Preston, executive director of the Rainbow Youth Project, a local LGBTQ+ youth advocacy group that has been providing support to the student and their family, confirmed the existence of at least one video.
“We actually have about 45 seconds of one of the videos that was recorded by one of the assailants,” Preston said. “Just in the short few seconds that we have, it was horrendous, it was horrific.”
Bellingham Public Schools issued a statement on Tuesday acknowledging the incident and noting that “the school took immediate steps to secure medical assistance and called the police” in response to the attack.
“We continue our school-based investigation and continue to cooperate with the law enforcement investigation,” the statement reads. “The identity of the other individuals involved was originally unclear to school officials. As we have learned identities through our investigation, we have shared that information with police. Witnesses have stepped forward, and we continue to share additional info with police.”
Bellingham Public Schools also disputes the assailant is a current student at the school, despite reports from the victim, Ruben, and early media reports to the contrary.
“There has been an assumption that the alleged assailant is currently attending Bellingham High,” the statement continues. “This is not accurate.”
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact investigators at the Bellingham Police Department Tip Line (360) 778-8611 or online at cop.org/tips.
