AUSTIN (KXAN) A social media post claims that a group of men assaulted a transgender woman and her friends, as well as severely injured a man who attempted to intervene, at the Barton Springs Free Area on July 26.

The Austin Police Department provided information to local affiliate KXAN on the assault Tuesday afternoon, writing that its investigation is open and active. Police said anyone with information about the attack should call APD at 512-974-2000 or Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.

Several local celebrities, such as drag performer Brigitte Bandit, amplified the social media post and called for the public’s help in identifying the men.

The author of that post was not present during the attack, but said one of the women told him about it immediately after. The women had been “incessantly hit on by three men,” he said. When the transgender woman joined her friends, things took a turn.

The transgender woman told KXAN Tuesday afternoon that one of her friends went to talk with one of the men “just to talk to him.”

“His first response was to point at me and say, ‘I don’t agree with that lifestyle, it’s gross’ or something along those lines,” she said. “Then she backed off from him and told me and the guy who stepped in about it. We both got pissed and went to talk to them and ask what their issue was. Then they (the three men) get really loud and violent, and then as you probably saw in the video, they attacked us.”

“The three men then started becoming aggressive towards the trans woman just for being trans, and generally escalating verbal attacks, accusing the other two girls of being trans, poking at them near their breasts, etc.,” the post’s author wrote. “They then started shoving my friends violently.”

Austin police: Case is a ‘potential hate crime’

According to APD, its officers and Austin-Travis County EMS personnel responded to a disturbance call at Barton Springs around 5:20 p.m. that day.

“The initial caller reported that an individual had been physically assaulted and was on the ground, bleeding,” APD said. “When officers arrived on the scene, they located one victim who was being treated by [ATCEMS] and subsequently transported to a local hospital.”

The officers interviewed a witness at the scene, APD said; they reported to officers that “an unknown male began a verbal altercation, which escalated into a physical assault involving multiple individuals.”

“The witness stated that a bystander attempted to intervene and was assaulted by the suspect, resulting in the bystander falling to the ground. The suspect reportedly pushed the witness as well before fleeing the area,” APD’s statement continued.

The case is under review by APD’s Hate Crime Review Committee, it said. This is part of its investigation process when dealing with potential hate crimes. Ultimately, it will be up to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office on whether or not to bring such an enhancement to the charge. A hate crime enhancement increases the punishment for certain crimes, according to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.

“If the Hate Crime Review Committee finds an offense was committed based on a bias or prejudice towards the victim and a warrant is issued or an arrest is made, the Hate Crimes Review Committee informs the prosecutor’s office of their findings,” APD said.

We all belong in this community. APD remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a secure and inclusive Austin community. Our ongoing efforts aim to ensure a community where every member feels safe, valued, and respected.

Austin Police Department email

Video shows men leaving the area

A witness shared video of the incident with KXAN. In it, three men are seen carrying various items and walking away from the area. One of the men appears to shove a woman after she grabs a towel he’s holding.

As she follows and yells at the man, he stops by a group of people who appear to be tending to the man who intervened. He points down at the man, then himself, then back at the man before the video ends.

Good Samaritan’s parents start fundraiser

A GoFundMe for the man who intervened in the assault raised over $33,000 as of Tuesday morning. It was organized by the man’s parents and verified to KXAN by the crowdfunding platform.

“According to multiple witness accounts, a young transgender woman and her friends were being harassed and shoved by a group of men. Our son stepped in to defend them, which resulted in him being brutally assaulted by these same men,” his parents wrote.

The man, an Austin construction worker and a father, received “gashes to his head, a bleeding ear, a broken jaw and a concussion” from the assailants.

“He is also a father to a young boy, and this situation will put a huge strain on their already tight finances. The cost of surgery and time off work is more than he can handle alone,” they said.

In-Depth: Restroom bans & violence

The assault comes during the Texas Legislature’s special session. In his proclamation setting the session’s topics, Gov. Greg Abbott directed lawmakers to pass a law that would ban transgender people from changing rooms, public restrooms and other facilities in government buildings.

These laws create risks for cisgender and transgender women alike. Multiple other news organizations have reported on cis women who have been confronted, threatened or assaulted by people who thought they were transgender.

Transgender author Julia Serrano wrote an article in 2021 that dove into the data surrounding the issue. In it, she wrote that bathroom bans lack any data to support them and are a decades-old tactic.

“While there is no empirical evidence to indicate that transgender people pose any kind of threat to cisgender people in public bathrooms, the reverse is not true. That is to say, transgender people are routinely harassed and even assaulted by cis people in such settings,” Serrano wrote.

A lack of evidence supporting these bans can be heard inside the Texas Capitol as lawmakers consider these bills. In 2017, Sen. Lois Kolkorst said she didn’t have any evidence; in 2025, Sen. Mayes Middleton did not address similar requests.

In an interview with KXAN last week, Middleton, like the men at Barton Springs, called transgender women “men.” He also said it wasn’t “common sense” to let transgender women use the restrooms they’ve used for years and decades.

“This is about safety,” Middleton said. “This is about privacy.”