
CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Two teenage girls accused of beating a transgender woman at a McDonald's in Maryland have been indicted on assault and hate-crime charges for the April incident, which a restaurant employee captured on a video that went viral.
The Washington Blade reports on the charges related to the videotaped assault against Chrissy Lee Polis in a Baltimore suburb that drew widespread condemnation last month.
"The grand jury indicted Teonna Brown, 18, on first and second-degree assault and classified the offenses as hate crimes. Sources familiar with the case say a 15-year-old girl charged as a juvenile, whose identity has been withheld by authorities, faces the same charges in juvenile court," reports the Blade.
The assault charges normally carry a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment for a convicted adult, but the addition of the hate crime charge could add up to 10 additional years to the penalty.
The assault charges normally carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail for an adult. Under Maryland's hate crimes law, which covers victims based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, a judge has the authority to "enhance" the penalty for an underlying charge by adding up to 10 additional years of incarceration to the sentence.
Equality Maryland, the statewide LGBT advocacy organization, issued a statement on the indictment recommended by the prosecutor, the Baltimore County State's Attorney's office.
"Today, the State's Attorney for Baltimore County came to the only possible conclusion in deciding to try the assault on Chrissy Lee Polis as a hate crime," said interim executive director Lynne Bowman. "As the video shows, the violent attack was directly related to the fact that Ms. Polis is a transgender woman. Lack of understanding or fear about someone who is transgender is never an excuse for violence and when it occurs, it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
A bill that would have protected transgender Marylanders from discrimination in credit, housing, and employment, but not public accommodations such as the McDonald's restaurant, died in the state senate last month.
An attorney for Brown is expected to argue that she acted in self-defense. The McDonald's employee who took the video of the attack was fired, but will not be charged in connection with the assault.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
31 Period Films of Lesbians and Bi Women in Love That Will Take You Back
December 09 2024 1:00 PM
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’
September 13 2024 2:28 PM
These 15 major companies caved to the far right and stopped DEI programs
January 24 2025 1:11 PM
True
Latest Stories
No LGB without the T — queer community protests Trump's transgender erasure at Stonewall
February 14 2025 6:30 PM
Why LGBTQ+ groups are angry at RFK Jr.'s confirmation
February 14 2025 5:26 PM
Ohio bill would ban ejaculation without intent to conceive — with exceptions for LGBTQ+ people
February 14 2025 4:38 PM
Trump is ‘dangerously’ conflating gender-affirming care with a human rights violation
February 14 2025 12:42 PM
White House Correspondents' Association president Eugene Daniels blasts decision to block AP journalists
February 14 2025 11:39 AM
True
'Transgender' references erased from Stonewall National Monument website
February 14 2025 9:48 AM
From PEPFAR to peril, what happens when lifelines are cut?
February 14 2025 7:00 AM
Worcester: sanctuary city for the transgender community
February 13 2025 6:27 PM
Blame Mitch McConnell if you’re scared and angry
February 13 2025 5:06 PM
Federal judge orders restoration of health agency web pages
February 13 2025 5:02 PM
Kennedy Center scrubs LGBTQ+ Pride concert after Donald Trump takeover
February 13 2025 4:49 PM
BREAKING: Federal judge blocks Trump’s gender-affirming care ban for minors
February 13 2025 4:34 PM
These Blue states are making it easier for transgender people to update their documents
February 13 2025 12:09 PM
These are not ordinary times: How the Human Rights Campaign plans to move forward
February 13 2025 12:01 PM