Family share video of shocking attack on non-binary child for wearing a Pride flag
Students reportedly suspend for role in anti-LGBT+ incident, which was filmed
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A video of an attack against a non-binary middle school student in Florida last month has gained wider attention on social media, after it was shared by the child’s family.
Leo Hoffman, aged 12, was confronted by another student of Seminole Middle School for having a Pride flag on 28 May, their father, Benjamin Hoffman, told Bay News 9.
The student, who identifies as non-binary, was having a picnic lunch with friends when the incident started.
After Leo went to retrieve the Pride flag from a bin, where it had been thrown by the male student who confronted them, a tussle for the flag then took place.
Leo’s sister, Ashleigh, shared a 45-second video of the non-binary student being pulled by two groups of students fighting for the Pride flag.
She added: “This is a video of my little sibling Leo who is non-binary being drug to the ground, stomped on, and covered in water just for wearing a pride flag at school.”
“Leo was frightened,” their father told Bay News 9 of the attack. “Not so much for themselves but for their friends. Leo is very strong and would do anything to protect their friends.”
A school spokesperson told the station that a number of its students were investigated for allegedly taking part in the incident, with some suspended from the middle school in Pinellas County, Florida.
Ashleigh later tweeted that the school principle told Leo’s family that five students were suspended for the attack, after calling for people to contact the school with complaints.
The 45-second video has been viewed over 237,000 times on Twitter in the aftermath of Leo’s family calling for justice, and the school suspending students involved.
It follows a rise in attacks against non-binary and transgender individuals, and increasing anti-LGBT+ rhetoric from Republican lawmakers in Florida and elsewhere.
The Independent has reached out to Seminole Middle School for further comment.