I am a transgender activist and science communicator who was violently attacked by a transphobe.

On the night of April 29th, I was walking home alone when a man approached me and asked if I was Jey. I naively responded yes since this happens occasionally to me as a public speaker and has always been positive. Unfortunately not this time.

He immediately pushed me to the ground, punching me repeatedly in the eye while saying trans slurs. He hit me so hard that at the time, I thought he had been using a rock and had blinded me. He took out a pocket knife, cut me on the wrist and stabbed me in the neck, and cut out a chunk of my hair (why I shaved off my beautiful mullet). He also briefly tried to strangle me.

I still have gaps in my memory and don’t fully recall how I got away or got home, but I believe he didn’t follow me or know where I live. I believe he recognized me from photos from my Transquake launch party for my new organization that defends trans right with biology education, Beyond X&Y.

I spent the next day alone at home, alternating between panic attacks and stress sleeping. It wasn’t until the morning of May 1st that I realized my eye was swollen shut, my face was caked with blood, and I needed to call an ambulance. I was taken to the hospital, where I filed a police report and received excellent medical care.

The attacker broke the bone under my eye, and a muscle was stuck there, making me extremely cross-eyed. He also popped the “air bag” under my eye, which required emergency surgery to put a titanium mesh under my eye to lift it back up.

I am now in an intensive 8-week trauma recovery program. I’m staying at an Airbnb because I was too scared to return to my condo, which was covered in my own blood. I’ve had to buy medical supplies and other items to take care of myself.

That all is to say, I have not been able to do my usual consulting or public speaking to pay the bills, so I’ve accumulated a large amount of debt. I could really use financial support from anyone who is able and willing. Any money I receive that exceeds the cost of my recovery will go toward supporting my organization Beyond X&Y

Other than that, I mainly request positive vibes (send funny memes please). Your support means the world to me right now. I'm sharing this story because I don't want one horrible person ruining my life, and I want others to know the scary reality of what it's like to be trans in America right now when we have a President targeting us and treating us like monsters. I refuse to give up my dream to be Bill Nye or to fight for trans youth who don't have the support I do.