A transgender man who says a campground owner told him to use the women's bathroom on the site says he was beaten up by a group of men and arrested after a dispute with other guests over his presence there.
Noah Ruiz, who still has female body parts but identifies as a man, had tried to use the ladies' room at the campground in Preble County, Ohio, but a woman using the bathroom became upset he was in there because he is a man.
The 20-year-old told local news channel Fox 19: "I was using the bathroom, and she just started shouting. She was like, 'Who the f*** is in here?' And I replied, 'I am.' My girlfriend replied, 'I am as well.' She was like, 'No man should be in this bathroom. If you're a man you need to use a man's bathroom.' And I was like, 'I'm transgender. I have woman body parts, and I was told to use this bathroom.'"
The report did not clarify why Ruiz was advised to use the women's bathroom, and whether he was the one who had initiated the conversation with the campground owner about the issue at Cross's Campground in Camden.
Newsweek has reached out to Cross's Campground and Ruiz for further information.
Ruiz said that as he walked out of the restroom on July 3 following the argument with the woman in there, three men approached and attacked him: "They, like, grabbed me up off the ground. They choked me out. They said, 'I'll kill you, you f***, doing all this.' And I said, 'Dude, I'm not; I'm using the right bathroom. Rick Cross, the owner of this establishment, told me to use the bathroom. I'm following the rules."
Ruiz considers the incident a hate crime. He says he was left cut and bruised after the attack, and showed Fox 19 grazes on his head and leg that he said he sustained during the attack.
After the alleged physical assault, the dispute continued to escalate with more campers arriving at the scene, police said. Preble County Sheriff Michael Simpson said: "When they arrived, deputies weren't aware of an assault. There was a large crowd gathering and Ruiz was highly intoxicated and was becoming belligerent."
Ruiz's mother, Jennifer Ruiz, told Fox 19 that her son had "got out of hand" by this point, but only because "no one was listening to him." Ruiz himself appeared to nod as his mother said he acknowledged he could have handled the situation differently at that point.
Deputies arrested Ruiz for disorderly conduct and obstructing official business. They did not know about the alleged assault that had previously occurred, the sheriff said, but Ruiz later filed an assault report. The sheriff's office said their investigation is continuing and they are looking for the men involved.
Newsweek has reached out to the sheriff's office for further information.
Jennifer Ruiz said: "Noah was so upset at the time, he was trying to explain what has happened, and no one was listening to him. So Noah did then get out of hand, and he admits to his part of getting out of hand, from screaming, yelling. He was in defense mode, and when police got there, they didn't listen to him at all. They just immediately started shoving him to the ground and doing what they needed to do."
She said that her son deserves justice for the initial attack against him, saying: "I feel like something does need to be done to the people who hit him, and the police need to take charges against them for hitting him."
The group also called him vile slurs during the assault, she said, adding that she is concerned about transphobic attacks: "That's not safety, and I worry for the other ones that are there. If we don't do something about it, who is going to do something about it?"
Americans' views on gender identity have become more complex and nuanced over time, a new study showed in June, but the majority supports transgender rights and laws protecting trans people from discrimination.
As governments and societies grapple with complex issues about identity, single sex spaces, and fairnesssuch as in sporta number of celebrities have waded into the debate. Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson was widely condemned over accusations of transphobia after tweeting vulgar remarks about actor Elliot Page.
In June, Olympic swimmers welcomed a decision to ban transgender women from competing in women's events, citing an unfair advantage conferred on athletes who had previously undergone male puberty. The new policy adopted by FINA, the sport's governing body, means that only swimmers who transitioned before the age of 12 will be permitted to compete in women's events. The organization plans to create a separate "open" category so any athlete can participate at at elite level.
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Trans Man Advised To Use Women's Restroom Then Beaten Up and Arrested - Newsweek