Ohio: LGBT Leaders, Politicians Call for Justice After Transgender Hate Crime

A transgender woman attacked and robbed by a group of men in Toledo, Ohio has been released from the hospital following two surgeries.

Candice Rose Milligan had her jaw wired shut due to a broken mandible, according to The Toledo Blade. Police had charged one man, Christopher Temple, 20; he is being held at Lucas County jail and his bond has been set at $25,000.

"She'll be down for the count for a while but she's strong," Dave Crafts, the executive director of Equality Toledo, told the Blade. "She wants everyone to know how hate-filled and horrific the crime was."

Toledo Councilman Jack Ford has called for a federal investigation into the attack on Milligan as a hate crime and to use federal hate crime laws, The Blade reports.

"No one at anytime should be subjected to violent assault and batter," Ford said in a news conference about the attack. "We all should speak up on this now so further violence is abated."

Milligan was attacked at the intersection of Madison and 13th streets after being called transphobic slurs. The violence then escalated to her being kicked, punched, and then robbed. The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund released a statement calling for statewide nondiscrimination protection for LGBT Ohioans.

"We are outraged with the continued anti-transgender violence taking place across the country. The recent brutal attack against a transgender community activist underscores the need for strong nondiscrimination laws to prevent violent anti-LGBTQ hate crimes," Rev. Darlene Nipper, the deputy executive director for the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Candice, her friends, and family. We hope for a quick and healthy recovery. We will continue to monitor the situation in Toledo as we call on the local authorities to use every tool in their power to bring justice to Candice and the transgender community."