Transgender Teen Stabbed On D.C. Metro

A man has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon after harassing and allegedly stabbing a transgender teen on a Washington D.C. metro line during rush hour yesterday.

A 15-year-old transgender teen was reportedly taking the Green Line Metro in D.C. around 4:30 p.m. yesterday when 24-year-old Reginald Anthony Klaiber approached the teen and her group of friends and began harassing her for her appearance. Klaiber then allegedly stabbed the teen with a knife before being maced by one of her friends.

"This crazy man got on the train and he.. was at my friend like, 'you're ugly.. are you a man?'" one of the teen's friends notes in the above video. "He pulled out a knife and stabbed my friend. And that's when I maced him."

While transgender visibility is certainly making strides within mainstream cultural consciousness , transgender people still face disproportionate levels of violence compared to other members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. A recent report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that transgender people, particularly transgender people of color, are among the groups at the highest risk for experiencing violence.

In addition to being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, Klaiber will also reportedly be held to D.C.'s new enhanced penalties for hate-motivated crimes. The teen reportedly sustained non-life threatening injuries and spent the night in the hospital.