Michael Volz, a 36-year-old transgender man, was leaving a fundraiser for Orlando victims held Wednesday evening at a nightclub when he was approached by a man of about 20 who said "Hey, Happy Pride" before grabbing the transman by the throat while yelling a transgender slur.
The transgender man was choked to unconsciousness and beaten. Then the suspect fled the scene.
In a statement, Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole condemned the assault and said no resource would be spared identifying the assailant. Seattle police said they were working with the FBI to investigate the crime.I’m disgusted by this hateful attack. I want to assure the victim and the community that the SPD will leverage every resource to identify the suspect and bring him to justice.
--O'Toole
Volt was able to drive home after regaining consciousness, then called a friend to take him to a hospital.
Nearly $35K has been raised to pay for his medical bills.
This is not an isolated incident, this is something that happens to our community frequently and we’re not going to take it anymore.
We are united, we’re not going anywhere
--Volz
All of us are in shock and fearful.
Part of our efforts to do things like Trans Pride Seattle is to create community and solidarity so that people do not feel isolated.
--Danny Askini, Gender Justice League
This attack is deplorable, and my sympathies are with the young person who was harmed. The attack was meant to injure and to create an environment of fear during Pride. As a City, we worked closely with the community to identify ways to increase visibility, safety and community awareness.
For example, the Seattle Police Department will continue the Safe Place program to identify local businesses that will shelter victims of harassment until officers arrive. This program is so popular communities throughout the state have started to adopt it. The City directed more resources to support Project EQTY and other social service providers that work with LGBTQ youth. Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities and the Department of Transportation continue to address dark alleys and other physical environments on Capitol Hill that provide cover for criminals. We adopted a new City ordinance to require that single-person restrooms in public accommodations and city facilities be signed for all genders. The Seattle Office for Civil Rights is launching a public education initiative directed to all Seattle residents to teach them about LGBTQ people.
But make no mistake, this attack and all others like it are the result of hateful language that stigmatizes and alienates groups of people because of who they are, whether they are immigrants or Muslims or LGBTQ people. Despite all of our best efforts as a City, as long as there is a place for hateful language in our communities, our communities will not be safe places for those who are the targets of this hateful language.
--Office of the Mayor