The Advocate
Lilith Barraza Garcia, 22, says she and her friend were physically assaulted outside Rumors Cabaret Bar in Bellingham, Washington , while simply trying to provide aid to someone who was intoxicated and slouched over outside. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ + news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter. Garcia filed a police report with the Bellingham Police Department on the day of the incident, and the suspect was initially charged with a misdemeanor. However, Garcia told The Advocate that the misdemeanor is being upgraded to a felony, citing hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people. According to Garcia, on March 23, she was outside the queer bar helping a visibly intoxicated person, “getting him a bottle of water and checking in on him,” when the person’s friend, a man whom she had previously seen inside the bar on other occasions, confronted her and her friend. Related : Washington transgender high school student assaulted in possible hate crime that was caught on video The suspect who allegedly attacked her was arrested outside the bar. Garcia says she and her friend frequently visited the LGBTQ + bar and says she had noticed the man and his friend there before. “I found out from a couple of people that he actually goes there with a group of his friends to flirt with women,” Garcia told The Advocate . “I would say the men themselves are not part of the queer experience. Let’s just say that they are more there to pick up on girls that have their guard down.” Garcia, who is transgender , said that at first the assailant tried to compliment her by stating that she had “great breasts for a man.” According to her, he continued to spout insults before striking Garcia. She says she and her friend started to argue back, and it eventually turned physical. She says he started off by pushing them and then he started punching her in the chest and face, breaking her glasses. Related : Transgender woman who escaped Alabama for her safety beaten & left for dead near National Mall in D.C. Related : Remorseless Seattle man sentenced in hate crime beating of trans woman “I was told he was part of the Navy and at first I was a little bit shocked, but then I was like, ‘Oh that makes sense and why he was so strong’ because when he hit me, I did go unconscious for like two seconds and now I understand what people mean now by ‘seeing stars,’” said Garcia. Garcia is still currently recovering from multiple non-life-threatening injuries. She says the suspect who attacked her pushed her so hard she has bruising on her chest, where, less than a year ago, she had a breast augmentation procedure. “I’m gonna have to go to Seattle to get my boobs looked at, just because I did have top surgery less than a year ago,” Garcia said. “So that’s another thing I’m kind of concerned about.” A GoFundMe campaign to help Garcia with medical and associated expenses has raised more than $6,300.
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