Burned agender teen released from hospital
Legs bandaged tightly, but finally free from the pain of severe burns, the agender teenager who was set on fire this month was released from a hospital Wednesday - just in time to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with family at home in Oakland.
"Sasha is doing great, and we are so very happy to have them back in time for the holiday," said Karl Fleischman, the teen's father. "Sasha's made great progress."
Eighteen-year-old Sasha Fleischman was named Luke at birth but now does not identify as male or female, goes by Sasha and prefers to be called "they" rather than he or she. Fleischman was sleeping on an AC Transit bus Nov. 4 when the teen's skirt was lit on fire, causing second- and third-degree burns.
Oakland High School student Richard Thomas, 16, has been charged as an adult in the attack, but Karl Fleischman said Wednesday he and his offspring want prosecutors to consider moving the case to juvenile court.
"A 16-year-old is not fully formed yet, and it doesn't seem right for someone that young to be tried as an adult," Karl Fleischman said. "One thing I want to be clear about is that I don't know all the evidence and the background in the case that the district attorney does, and ultimately it is not our call to make.
"But just philosophically, that's what I feel, depending on what else we learn in the future, and Sasha has said they feel the same way."
Police say Thomas told investigators homophobia partly motivated the attack. But the boy's attorney said in court proceedings that was not the case, and that Thomas regrets what he intended to be just a prank.
Thomas is charged with mayhem and assault, with hate crime enhancements. An Alameda County Superior Court judge is scheduled to consider a defense motion Dec. 20 to transfer the case to juvenile court.
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Burned-agender-teen-released-from-hospital-5017470.php
= new reply since forum marked as read
Idiot! 