Surveillance video at an Extra Space storage facility in Nashville, Tennessee captured Jeremiah Hendrix, a now-former employee of the Black Tie Moving company, physically assaulting transgender makeup artist Tyler Flanagan on May 30. Flanagan said the incident made her fear for her life.
Flanagan said five members of the moving company hurled anti-trans slurs at her before the attack and the storage company facilities didn’t take her safety concerns seriously. The moving company fired the employee, and now both companies are assisting a local police investigation.
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“This was the first time in my years living in Nashville that I’ve truly feared for my life,” Flanagan wrote in the caption of an Instagram video showing the attack (below). “I was attacked by a grown man twice my size. I blocked part of the slap with my hand, but he still struck me in the face. If I hadn’t reacted, he might have knocked me out.”
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Flanagan and her queer friend had been moving items into the storage facility on May 30 when she said that five men in Black Tie Moving shirts approached them, shouting transphobic slurs and threats.
“They misgendered us repeatedly, calling us ‘men,’ and yelled that they could ‘still beat our asses because we’re men,’” Flanagan wrote in her Instagram post. “Their aggression was loud, hateful, and terrifying.”
Flanagan said she told the facility manager about what happened and requested a safety escort back to her vehicle, but the storage facility workers didn’t take it seriously and refused to escort her.
Video then showed Hendrix approaching Flanagan. She said she tried to de-escalate the situation, but then Hendrix punched her, knocking off her sunglasses. She then quickly exited the storage facility with her friend and contacted the police.
“What started as hateful harassment quickly escalated into a violent assault—rooted in transphobia and ignorance,”she wrote. “His assault was unprovoked, intentional, and fueled by hate…. Even after reporting the first incident, the facility allowed the movers back inside. No steps were taken to protect us. The failure to act by both [Extra Space] and [Black Tie Moving] is unacceptable.”
In a statement quoted by Advocate, Extra Space said it had reached out to Flanagan and is “cooperating fully with law enforcement in their investigation.”
In an Instagram post, Black Tie Movers called the attack “deeply troubling and entirely unacceptable,” adding, “When the incident was brought to our attention, we took immediate and decisive action to terminate the employee involved. We also proactively contacted law enforcement and have offered our full cooperation to support a thorough and unbiased investigation.”
In her Instagram post showing video of the attack, Flanagan wrote, “Trans women, queer people, and all marginalized individuals deserve safety and respect—especially in public spaces. I could have been seriously harmed or worse. I’m thankful to be safe, but this experience will stay with me forever.”
“To my fellow trans and queer siblings: I see you. I love you. We are worthy of safety and love,” she concluded.
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