Gloucester teen beaten for being trans, mother says

The mother of a Gloucester teenager says her child was beaten over the weekend by other teens for being transgender, NBC10 Boston reports.

The teenager’s mother told the station her son suffered injuries including a broken bone in his face.

“He’s been bullied by these kids for years because he’s trans,” she told NBC10 Boston. “These kids stomped on his head and face and called him F-filth as they did it and beat him all over his body.”

Gloucester police officers responded to the area of ​​Dogtown Road around 10:45 p.m. Friday for a report of a missing person, last seen in the woods, the department said in a statement. At the scene, officers learned that there had been a “dispute” between teenagers at a party in the woods where a teenager was assaulted. Police located the missing teenager, who was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The department said the people involved “are known to each other” and that Chief Edward Conley has assigned a detective trained in civil rights investigations to lead the case. The department said it is also in contact with the Essex County District Attorney’s office for additional support and resources.

“We take these allegations very seriously,” Conley said in a statement. “We ask the public to allow the investigation to continue without rushing to judgement.”

Gloucester School Superintendent Ben Lummis echoed the chief’s message in a statement to NBC10 Bostoncalling the incident “disturbing.”

“The Gloucester Public Schools understands the seriousness of these allegations and treats them with the utmost concern,” he said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Gloucester Police at 978-283-1212.