LGBTQ+ advocates say bystanders cheered as two transgender women were viciously attacked in Minneapolis earlier this month.In a statement, Minneapolis Police told The Independent that the two women confronted a group of people who were making derogatory remarks about them at a downtown Minneapolis light rail station on November 10, leading to a physical altercation. Related Jen Psaki warns Democrats not to cave to the right on trans rights Psaki emphasized that abandoning trans rights would be falling victim to GOP propaganda. Amber Muhm, one of the organizers of a rally in support of the victims at the station on Sunday, told the outlet that shes spoken to the women, identified only as Dahlia and Jess. They told her that they were leaving the station when a man yelled anti-trans slurs at them. According to Muhm, when Jess asked the man to stop, he sucker punched her. After Dahlia hit the man with her cane, four or five other men began beating the pair. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Both women were reportedly knocked unconscious, with Dahlia sustaining a broken nose and Jess left with multiple contusions to her ribs.No one came to help them. In fact, they said people were cheering the attackers on while they were getting beaten, Muhm told CBS News.It was a traumatic event and they are both still dealing with the physical consequences of that very acutely but the community is kind of whats keeping them grounded right now, Muhm told The Independent.Minneapolis police told CBS News that they were investigating the incident, but had made no arrests as of Sunday night.They need to step up because this keeps happening and its ridiculous and unacceptable at this point, Muhm said of the police response.According to CBS News, Dahlia and Jess moved to Minnesota from Iowa because of the states Trans Refuge law. Introduced by state Rep. Leigh Finke (D) Minnesotas first out trans legislator and passed in March 2023, the law prevents out-of-state laws from interfering with people seeking gender-affirming care in Minnesota. At Sundays rally, Finke said she expects to see even more trans people moving to the state following the re-election of former President Donald Trump, whose campaign spent millions on anti-trans ads in battleground states during the final months of the campaign.People are so emboldened now. Theres so much false data, so many false narratives about trans people, Muhm told The Independent, adding that at Sundays rally bystanders repeated false claims about gender affirming surgeries being performed on 10-year-olds.One speaker at the rally told CBS News that Trumps re-election is fueling fear in the trans community. People are talking to me about erasing their social media presence, going back in the closet, they said. But Muhm urged people to stay in the fight. The community here is beautiful. Were building a movement, were going to get through this and were going to be stronger for it and Minneapolis is going to be such a beautiful place for trans people to live, she said.At the same time, Muhm noted that trans people in the city are preparing for a possible uptick in anti-trans violence by enrolling in self-defense classes and looking into getting handgun permits.People are about to get a lot more hostile and emboldened in their transphobia, she told The Independent, so what do we do to protect ourselves when were out?Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.