Gender-neutral teen (14) hospitalized after anti-LGBTQ attack
A gender-neutral teenager was attacked by a group of four or five boys at a playground in Amstelveen on Monday. 14-year-old Frédérique was assaulted after they refused to tell the boys whether they were a boy or girl, father Paul Brink said on LinkedIn. They were hospitalized with severe injuries, including a broken nose and fractured jaw.
The police confirmed the attack at the playground on Albert van Dalsumlaan. A group of four or five kids between the ages of 11 and 15 years assaulted the victim at around 2:15 p.m., the Amstelveen police said on Facebook. The police are looking for witnesses.
According to the father, Frédérique and some friends were hanging out at the playground when the group of boys approached them. "Are you a boy or a girl?" one called to them, the father said. Frédérique responded: "It doesn't matter, does it?" The boy shouted his question again, and according to Brink, Frédérique responded: "I am who I am and you can be whoever you want."
"Then he attacked her. Completely insane," Brink said to RTL Nieuws, on the phone from AMC in Amsterdam where Frédérique had to spend the night. Frédérique collapsed and briefly lost consciousness. The boys fled when Frédérique's friends rushed over. Afterwards, Frédérique called their father who rushed over after instructing them to call emergency number 112.
Frédérique was initially taken to a local hospital, but transferred to AMC due to the extent of their injuries - a broken nose, a fractured jaw, swelling in their face. "A tooth is loose, half of the front tooth is missing. It was a very violent attack," Brink said.
On Tuesday morning, Brink posted an update on LinkedIn, saying that Frédérique was recovering at home in peace and in the company of their siblings. He expressed gratitude for "all the warm and loving reactions from both home and abroad".
Brink is not angry, he said to RTL Nieuws. "I can be angry, but that is negative energy. That helps none of us," he said. He is proud of his child, he said. "Because she wants to be who she is. Boy or girl, straight, gay, bisexual, it doesn't matter to her or to any of us."
