Julia, the trans woman left ‘humiliated’ after an attack during a protest in Paris on Sunday (31 March), has revealed shocking details of the incident.

‘At the entrance of the metro, three people called out to me and got in my way,’ she explained in a Konbini news video. ‘One of them looked at me and told me “But you’re a man” and “Hey, but you have breasts, you got boobs”.

‘Then, he touched my breasts. So I hit him on his hand and I said he absolutely had no right to touch me.

‘Another person flashed his penis and asked me to satisfy him.

‘In the video, you can see all those people being there to humiliate me, to hurt me. I turned to one of my attackers, I looked at him and told him, “I’m not scared of you.” And that’s what triggered him — his anger,’ she said.

Transport police then intervened and led her to safety, but French LGBTI group Stop Homophobie allege the officers misgendered her as ‘monsieur’.

They even told her ‘not to dress like that,’ as she wore a black and white blouse, heeled black Chelsea boots, and carried a small black pocketbook.

Julia: ‘We can’t stigmatize my attackers’

After the video went viral online, people began turning their attention to the attackers and specifically addressing the ethnicity of the people in the crowd, who were protesting Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid to stand for a fifth term in office.

One social media commentator said: ‘Those were Algerian Muslim men taunting her.’

Another said: ‘Please tell me why Arab men feel so entitled and empowered in France of all places to accost or attack anyone based on their antiquated and hateful views?’

Agression verbale et physique #transphobe place de la République à Paris. Effet de meute insupportable contre cette personne. Nous adressons tout notre soutien à la victime. Les auteurs de ces actes doivent être sanctionnés. Cc: @Lyes_Alouane pic.twitter.com/Kz1aCPvcuk — SOS homophobie (@SOShomophobie) April 2, 2019

But Julia is urging people not to stereotype all Algerians, for the actions of a small few.

‘Things like saying that my attackers did so because they are Algerians,’ she said. ‘It has nothing to do with that.’

She then added: ‘Those who assaulted me are ignorant. They don’t understand who I am.

‘However, we can’t stigmatize them, we can’t say these people attacked me because of their culture or beliefs.

‘The reason why I’m speaking up is to spread a message of tolerance, to tell people they can be whatever they want, they can accept everyone. And when people jump to my defense on social media and attack others because of their culture… they prove to be intolerant as well,’ she said.

Julia then added: ‘I’m trans and it’s not because of the attack… they might have scared me, humiliated me, but nothing will prevent me from being who I am.’

See also:

Every country in Eurovision 2019, ranked by LGBTI equality

Lou Queernaval, France’s first queer carnival, is back and gayer than ever

France introduces national LGBTI anti-bullying campaign in all schools