Rep. Ilhan Omar Statement on Attack on Transgender Woman at Minneapolis Light Rail Station

MINNEAPOLIS—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement after a transgender woman was violently attacked at a Minneapolis light rail station Monday morning, leaving her in critical condition. 

“I am deeply saddened to learn about the horrifically violent attack on a transgender woman at Lake Street Light Rail Station in Minneapolis that left her with a broken rib, a collapsed lung and internal cranial bleeding. My thoughts are with her and the entire trans community right now. Our LGBTQ+ community members deserve to feel safe and protected in every space. While we are still awaiting details about the attackers’ motives, we know that the trans community – and trans women in particular – are regularly the targets of hate, conspiracy theories, and violence. 

“This attack comes in the context of a rampant increase in violence and political targeting of the trans community, including the heinous mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs just months ago. Trans women have become a central focus of the right-wing culture war, with many states moving to ban trans healthcare, to reduce the visibility of trans and queer people in public life, and even to outlaw being transgender altogether. We must recognize that the legislative attacks on trans people are part of the same violence that led to nearly 90 trans people being killed in the United States over the last two years. 

“We must continue to do everything to confront and condemn the culture of violence against the trans community.  I will keep fighting for a world where everyone, regardless of their identity can live free from violence.”

###