Trans teen suffers brutal anti-LGBTQ+ attack a year after bullies drove her out of school
Transgender teen Chad Sanford was attacked in Florida for a second time. (YouTube/Local 10)
A trans teenager who moved schools after being brutally beaten by anti-LGBTQ+ bullies has been attacked again by another group of youths.
Warning – suicidal thoughts.
Chad Sanford, 14, was beaten, body slammed and called homophobic slurs in May 2021 at Florida’s Deerfield Middle School.
Video footage of the attack went viral online, with celebrities including Beyoncé’s mother Tina Lawson sharing and condemning the attack.
At the time, Sanford said that the attack left her suicidal. Sanford left the school, hoping to leave the brutal attack behind her.
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But on 9 August, local media reported that Sanford had been the victim of another anti-LGBTQ+ attack.
Sanford was invited hang out with a group of youths, she told Local 10 – however the group wasn’t looking for friendship.
“They came behind me and jumped me,” said Sanford, adding that the perpetrators told her: “Don’t come around me with that gay s**t.”
Sanford says three boys kicked, punched and beat her as she lay on the floor, while her grandmother took a video for evidence.
Sanford’s grandmother – who didn’t want to be named – told Local 10 she just wanted people to leave her grandchild alone.
“Just let Chad be Chad,” she said.
“Guys were spitting on [her] on the bus… because of [her being] transgender. I’m just frustrated,” she told the publication.
Her grandmother, who called the police following the incident, said the situation was “frustrating” but was thankful as it “could have been so much worse”.
Two young people were arrested for simple battery in connection with the attack, Broward Sheriff’s Office has confirmed.
“The juveniles were transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center,” public information officer Claudinne Caro told The Advocate.
The investigation is ongoing.
