Owen Smith Says He Was Beaten In 2002 Attack For Being Transgender

'I Was Attacked For Being Transgender'

Owen Smith shared his emotional story of being assaulted for being transgender in an emotional interview with HuffPost Live.

Smith, who is now the Community Programs Manager at Equality Utah, recalled the 2002 incident, which he says began "because of a misunderstanding and a mistaken identity" in a Baltimore grocery store.

After being taunted by a group of teens as he neared the checkout line, Smith said he was exposed by one of the teens as being transgender, who began taunted him with anti-trans slurs before attacking him.

"Even today, I don't like going to the grocery store during the day by myself," Smith, who noted that the suspects were never caught, "I'm really self-conscious whenever I'm in a public space; I'm really mindful of the way that people look at me and the way people treat me."

Before You Go

1. Defining Transgenderism

15 Things To Know About Being Transgender By Nicholas M. Teich

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