Five Year Prison Sentence Handed Down for Brutal Attack on Transgender Woman at McDonald's: VIDEO

Teonna Monae Brown, 19, who pleaded guilty last month to first-degree assault and a hate crime in the beating of Chrissy Lee Polis, 22 (pictured), was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, with five years suspended, plus three years of supervised probation. The maximum sentence for Brown's crimes is 35 years.

Advocates were upset by the ruling, the Baltimore Sun reports:

"The whole incident is unfortunate and demonstrates the lack of knowledge and understanding, and discrimination against transgender people," said Patrick Wojahn, board president of the Equality Maryland Foundation. "If anything, five years may have been too short of an amount of time for the attack and the amount of hatred that was shown in the incident."

Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk agreed. "Five years is not enough for what she did. It was really horrible — nobody should do something like that to another human being," said Pena-Melnyk, who represents parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties. She proposed legislation to prevent employers, creditors and others from discriminating against transgender people, but the measure failed in the 2011 General Assembly.

Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger was pleased with the sentence:

Shellenberger said that "it was very important that even though this defendant has no criminal record, that she receive substantial time in jail." He said the violence of the repeated assaults warranted it.

"I don't care who the victim is. This was not a political statement," he said.

Watch a news report on the sentencing and an interview with Shellenberger, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Baltimore Orioles Say It Gets Better: VIDEO

The Baltimore Orioles are the latest MLB franchise to speak out against anti-gay bullying in a new clip featuring Jake Arrieta, Jason Berken, Zach Britton, Kevin Gregg and Michael Gonzalez.

Said Orioles Director of Communications Greg Bader: “The Orioles are proud to support the It Gets Better Project and the Trevor Project. Bullying of any kind, for any reason, is unacceptable to our organization, and we are pleased to have our players speak out against this behavior in the hope it will provide encouragement to LGBT youth, and all children, who are facing hatred and prejudice.”

Watch the video, AFTER THE JUMP...

Baltimore Transgender Attack Victim Reunited With Her Savior

Chrissy Polis, the transgender woman who was viciously attacked by two girls at a McDonald's in Baltimore last month had expressed an interest in finding the woman who ultimatly came to her rescue and stopped the assault so she could thank her in person. The two were finally reunited on Friday and reportedly had lunch together.

Polis' rescuer, Vicky Thoms, told ABC 2 in Baltimore that she was shocked to see an employee refusing to help and instead choosing to videotape the incident: "I just couldn't understand why he was standing there, watching somebody being beat up and not helping...I don't look at her as different, I looked at her as human."

Baltimore Police have still not yet decided if hate crime charges will be filed against the two attackers.

Watch their reunion, AFTER THE JUMP.

Watch: Hundreds Turn Out for Rally in Honor of Transgender Assault Victim Chrissy Lee Polis

Hundreds turned out for a rally last night outside the Baltimore McDonald's where trans woman Chrissy Lee Polis was brutally beaten while some restaurant employees stood by and even filmed it.

The Washington Blade has a report from the rally, which was attended by several politicians, and Polis' mother:

A crowd of about 300 spectators sang “We Shall Overcome,” as politicians and activists denounced the beating that captured national media attention after it was recorded by a restaurant employee and posted to YouTube.

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Several politicians in the crowd expressed surprise and gratitude for the strong turnout.

“This is truly an LGBT moment,” said Mary Washington, a lesbian member of Maryland’s House of Delegates from Baltimore City. “Our allies are here as well. I see this moment lasting and we will resume the fight to pass HB 235.”

She was referring to a transgender non-discrimination bill that was killed by the Maryland Senate just a week prior to the beating. Baltimore City Council member Carl Stokes echoed those impressed by the large turnout.

Watch a news report from WUSA 9  containing footage from the rally and an interview with Vicky Thoms, the McDonald's employee who tried to help during the attack,
AFTER THE JUMP...

Candlelight Vigil Planned Tonight at Baltimore McDonald's Where Transgender Woman was Beaten

A vigil and rally organized by Trans-United, TransMaryland, Baltimore County for Equality, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore is planned at 7 pm this evening at the McDonald's where Chrissy Lee Polis was brutally beaten late last week.

Said Caroline Temmerand of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland in a statement: "This is precisely the kind of hatred and bigotry that transgender women and men deal with on a daily basis. We as a society have failed if we cannot do more to protect all Marylanders from this kind of brutality."

Added TransMaryland spokeswoman Jenna Fischetti: "Our primary concern is for Ms. Polis’ well being. We will support her through this difficult time and we ask that the legal process be unhampered and thorough."

Polis spoke out about the attack in a video interview with the Baltimore Sun over the weekend.

The vigil and rally will be held at McDonald's, 6315 Kenwood Ave. in Rosedale, Baltimore.

Meanwhile, the 18- and 14-year-old women involved in the attack have been charged:

Teonna Monae Brown of the 2000 block of Kelbourne Road in Rosedale was charged in the attack on Chrissy Lee Polis. The incident was videotaped and went viral online late last week, with hundreds of thousands of views on various websites. The video shows Polis, 22, being kicked and punched in the head by two people until she appears to have a seizure. While one employee and a patron try to intervene, others can be seen standing and watching, and some are laughing.

Brown, who was arrested Friday, has been charged with one count of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault. She remains at the Baltimore County Detention Center on $150,000 bond.

A 14-year-old girl has also been charged in the attack, but her name has not been released because the charges were filed in juvenile court.

 

Transgender Woman Involved In Baltimore Attack Speaks Out

The transgender woman who was brutally attacked by two teenage girls in a McDonald's restaurant in Baltimore on Monday is now speaking out. In a video interview with the Baltimore Sun, Chrissy Lee Polis says that the attack has left her fearful of going outside of her home. She also expressed an interest in finding the older woman who helped put a stop to the assault and so she could thank her in person.

Watch the interview, AFTER THE JUMP.