You probably remember a couple of weeks ago when we wrote an article about a group of transgender women avoiding a jail sentence for beating up a teenager who insulted them about their lack of genitalia and the women have now decided to shari their regret for their actions during the incident.

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24 7ear old Tylah Bryan said that the attack was fuelled by alcohol and was the result of years of every day transphobic abuse. Here’s what she had to say:

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You get people that make passing comments and by the time they’ve said anything, they’re gone – they keep walking.

We were telling him to jog on and leave us alone. This guy was adamant to let us know his beliefs and it wasn’t just a passing comment.

We got frustrated and it led to us going too far. It was an instant regret. I held my hands up straight away. We took it too far.

We had too much to drink, if we hadn’t drunk so much we would have been able to defuse the situation.

I used to feel upset or like everyone was attacking me, and whether transitioning was right for me.

There’s been times before where people have been quite physical towards me. Hate crimes towards trans people have quadrupled in the last five years, which is just unreal.

It makes you feel a little bit nervous and worried you could be on the receiving end of things. You have to be very alert.

The women were granted leniency by a judge who heard they faced ‘offensive, transphobic and abusive’ language.

If someone is bothering you and they are not leaving you alone, you have to report it, pick up your phone and dial for help.

Don’t try and argue, you don’t know what that other person is going to do. Just try and walk away from the situation. If you entertain it, it’s only going to get worse.

I mean that doesn’t really excuse her beating someone up, but it’s refreshing to hear her own her actions and take responsibility for them and admit that this wasn’t the best course of action in this situation. Not everyone would have done that and hopefully this incident won’t set back trans relations like it had threatened to do. Just be kind and safe and everything should work itself out – why is it so hard for some people to do that?

For more of the same, check out this story about a transgender woman finding love with a man who rejected her when she was male. What a heartwarming story.