Trans Woman Assaulted By Two Men on Staten Island in Vicious Hate Crime

On Staten Island yesterday morning, a 29-year-old transgender woman was assaulted by two men while they shouted transphobic slurs at her. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was attacked at approximately 9:40 AM., according to police reports, by Tapharia Jones, 24, of Port Richmond, and Yaqwa Jones, 20, of Stapleton.

Related | TeeTee Dangerfield, the 16th Trans Woman of Color Killed This Year

Both men were arrested in connection the hate crime an hour later and the victim was treated for minor injuries. The assault comes just days after TeeTee Dangerfield became the 16th transgender person of color to die this year. It also follows last week's comments by alleged comedian Lil Duval on the Breakfast Club morning show where he "joked" about murdering transgender women who trick him into sleeping with them.

Related | Trump's Military Ban Causes 'Dramatic Spike' in Suicide Hotline Calls from Trans Youth

As a reminder, 22 violent deaths of trans people were recorded by the Human Rights Campaign last year and, in 2015, the U.S. Transgender Survey reported that 40 percent of trans individuals have attempted suicide. At a time when transgender suicide hotline calls have spiked because Trump's administration has targeted the transgender community with military bans or stripped away workplace discrimination protection, violent acts like Staten Island's are the reality trans people face every day.