Transgender veteran’s truck painted ‘Trump’ and set on fire
A transgender US Army veteran has been left shaken after her truck was set on fire in the middle of the night in a possible hate crime.
The truck was also spray-painted with the word āTrumpā as part of the attack, which took place in Cookeville, Tennessee.
The woman, identified only as āElleā because of the possible hate crime, was inside with her three-year-old son when the attack took place early Saturday morning.
She says that she heard a noise at around 3:30 a.m., and noticed that the door to her pick-up truck was open. Thinking she must have left it that way, she shut the door and went back inside.
About half an hour later, she heard a a car horn honk, and looked out to see the truck roaring with flames and vandalised with paint.
āMost of [the paint] got burned off, but one of the police officers pointed out that it said āTrumpā on the hood and the back,ā Elle told reporters.
āIt just breaks my heart every time I walk past the driveway.ā
Elle came out as transgender two years ago, and says that she hasnāt experienced any discrimination within Cookeville before ā though outside the city itās a different matter.
āIāve been in altercations out of town because Iām transgendered,ā she said. āThe last altercation was when a man took a swing at me in a bathroom.ā
A veteran, she served eight years in the US Army and toured in Iraq, before being medically retired in 2007 after suffering from a severe brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
While sheās a Hillary Clinton supporter, she says there were no Clinton signs on her lawn or windows.
Itās not yet clear why Elle was targeted, but she said the police told her they were investigating it as a possible transphobic hate crime.
āIām just trying to live my life,ā she said. āI wouldnāt hurt anyone.ā
Earlier this year Tennessee almost introduced an anti-trans bathroom bill for its public schools, but its Republican proponent decided to shelve it for a year.
āI have learned that our school districts are largely following what the bill says,ā Rep. Susan Lynn said, adding she would delay the bill āin an effort to further study the issue.ā
The stateās Republican Governor Bill Haslam did however sign into law a bill that allows licensed counsellors to turn away LGBT patients.
The attack on Elleās truck comes amid fears that if Trump loses todayās election, there might be further violence from his supporters.
Former Congressman Joe Walsh, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted last week: āOn November 9th, if Trump loses, Iām grabbing my musket. You in?ā
