Kylie Perez, a 14-year-old transgender student at East Side High School in Newark, NJ was brutally beaten this week by four students and said she is constantly bullied. The attack on Perez was captured on surveillance cameras (above).
Kylie Perez told PIX11 she was punched and kicked Tuesday in a school hallway after a girl shouted “there's the tranny.” Perez told the station she has been targeted by bullies who called her anti-gay slurs. She transitioned in 6th grade, according to the report.
The Newark Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the attack as a hate crime.
Newark's mayor, Ras Baraka, released a statement on Saturday denouncing the attack:
“I join the LGBTQI community as well as the parents, students, and citizens of Newark who are appalled by the recent bullying and vicious attack on fourteen-year-old Kylie Perez, a transgender student, at East Side High School. We must remain vigilant as a community and continue to denounce and to prosecute the hate crimes that are perpetrated upon members of the LGBTQI community. This act was particularly egregious because the victim is a young teen whose attackers assailed her without warning.
“This incident reinforces the importance of the role of our schools in educating students about the need to respect each other's rights regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. I will be reaching out to Ms. Perez and her family as well as members of the LGBTQI community to continue to find ways to protect their rights and well-being.”
