On April 29, activists and students from Students Fight Back, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and California State University at Long Beach campus organizations rallied to protest the recent hate crime attack against a transgender student at CSULB.
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Take Back the Night rally, |
Just weeks earlier, a transgender student was brutally attacked in a campus restroom. The attacker beat the student, threw him against the wall, and then carved “It” in his chest. This was a vicious hate crime.
In protest, hundreds of students and activists gathered in CSULB’s Maxon Plaza. It was also a commemoration of “Take Back the Night,” an event organized to raise awareness about women’s issues, such as domestic and sexual violence. The event featured a number of speakers.
Juanita Garcia, a CSULB student, told Liberation newspaper, “I’m so glad to see this event take up the issues of transphobia, homophobia and issues affecting the LGBT community, especially because of the recent attack on campus.” At the end, the survivor of the attack addressed the crowd in a brave manner, thanking students for their strong support.
The rally concluded with a march throughout the CSULB campus.
Jessica Bardales, CSULB student and member of Students Fight Back told Liberation, “Acts of hate cannot be tolerated. As long as we live in a society where racism, sexism and bigotry are accepted, there will never be equality, and cruel attacks like this will not be the last one.”
This attack is further proof that anti-LGBT bigotry and hate crimes are not things of the past. Capitalism fosters disunity amongst people. It allows for bigotry and hate crimes to go unchecked. The only way to stop bigotry is to organize and struggle against it.
