A disturbing video captured in the hallways of a Florida middle school shows a 13-year-old student being verbally and physically bulled over her sexuality.
Chad Sanford, a sixth grader at Deerfield Beach Middle School, was attacked by a group of older students while others just stood by and watched in an incident that took place last Friday, May 21.
'I'm Going to Knock the Gay Out'
Video footage recorded by a classmate shows the transgender girl walking down a hallway, wearing a black hoodie and carrying what appears to be a book in her arm when an older student follows her, approaches from behind, lifts her off the ground and slams her on the floor. Sanford is seen in a fetal position on the floor as other students kick and spit on the teen and hurl homophobic slurs at him.
"He just stepped on my face, they were kicking and spitting on me and all that was a little clip of the video," Sanford told a local news outlet. "They were screaming. They were saying, 'We got that gay faggot.'"
Sanford said the past year has been "a living hell" because other students have tormented her for being gay. Sanford said she has been bullied over her sexuality since last January. He also described a previous incident when a bully embarrassed her in front of classmates. "He stood on top of the stage and said to me, 'I'm going to knock the gay out of him.'"
"They made me feel disgusted," Sanford told WTVJ. "I actually feel like I could not live anymore. I feel like why do my sexual orientation had to do with you not liking me?"
Sanford said only one student offered to help as she was taken to the principal's office to report the incident. He has been pulled out of the school since the attack.
Incident Under Investigation
A Broward County Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement that the administration would look into the incident and is co-operating with law enforcement.
"The school's leadership is taking this incident seriously and is working with law enforcement in its investigation," the school district said in a statement. "Any students involved will face appropriate school disciplinary consequences in accordance with the codebook for student conduct."
