JoJo, a queer non-binary person speaks at a book ban (rally/hearing?) against banning books in a video shared on Reddit as first reported on by Detroit Free Press.
This person's bravery cannot be understated but becomes more evident in a picture shared on Riddit of JoJo while making their presentation.
Unbeknownst to JoJo, a huge man seated behind them stood up threateningly as if to attack them and had to be restrained by police. This is bravery exemplified.
Thank you Jojo for taking such a couragous stand against bigotry and ignorance.
“One second, I was having fun, the next second, I was on the ground getting my face stomped and beat up,” Jayden Tkaczyk, 16, said.
His mother said the attack was her worst fear and described the attack as a hate crime.
Trigger warning. Vivid descriptions of violence.
The Gloucester Police Department said in a press release that the "parties involved in this incident are known to one another."
A detective trained in civil rights investigations had been assigned to lead the case, police said, and a spokesperson for the department confirmed to ABC News the incident is "being investigated as a possible hate crime."
"The investigation remains ongoing and no determination has been made at this stage," the police spokesperson said.
The teen has previously faced bullying for being trans, Rourke said.
Jayden, who attends a local vocational high school, joined the Gloucester High School football team last year but quit after only a few practices because the "bullying got so severe," according to Rourke.