Kady Grass flew from her hometown of Delavan, Wisconsin to Carpentersville, Illinois to visit her grandparents and see her 13-year-old cousin’s May 13 choir concert. After the concert, she and her cousin visited a local McDonalds fast-food restaurant. But when Grass tried to enter the women’s restroom and found it occupied, two men at a nearby table called her a fa**ot.
Grass confronted the men — a Black 19-year-old and a younger Latino-looking 16-year-old, she said — and told them that they had no right to call her that. When she confirmed that she was indeed a lesbian woman, one of the individuals hit her in the jaw and another attacked her from behind. That’s when she blacked out. She said her 13-year-old cousin watched, terrified and unsure what to do as one of the attackers held Grass down and the other kicked Grass in the face and stomped on her.
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When Grass regained consciousness seconds later, she couldn’t see through her swollen eyes, she told LGBTQ Nation. So she blindly reached out, grabbed the denim pant leg of the person nearest to her, and said, “Call 9-1-1. “
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While she was blacked out, a McDonalds manager tried to intervene, but was allegedly assaulted by the men, Grass said. The two girls who had occupied the women’s bathroom stalls were with the attackers. Seeing the attack, the girls allegedly grabbed Grass’ and her cousin’s phones and Grass’ wallet and fled.
Grass didn’t remember what exactly transpired next. But she said the next thing she remembered was a police officer informing her that the people involved would face charges.
The 19-year-old, John Kammrad, was charged with aggravated battery, great bodily harm, aggravated battery in a public place, mob action, and more, according to WMAQ. Police took him into custody on May 17 and the 16-year-old turned himself in on May 16. Grass said an officer informed her that the girls would face misdemeanor charges for their theft.
The paramedics arrived and transported her to the hospital. She had blood coming out of her eyes and mouth and had bruises from where the man held her down. She has a broken nose which continues to bleed, she told LGBTQ Nation, and still has bodily aches and pains that makes it difficult for her to work. While the doctor told her that her eyes will make a full recovery, she said it still hurts even to just rest her head on a pillow.
Grass, luckily, has the full support of her family and always has, she told LGBTQ Nation. She said that her father was angered by the attack and had a hard time looking her in the face — her mother just cried. Above all, her family just wants justice.
A GoFundMe crowdfundraiser has since been launched to help with her medical bills and to afford a lawyer to press charges. It has raised $1,561 of its $5,000 goal as of Monday evening.
She also said that she doesn’t want to be seen as a weak, scared victim, but rather as a strong survivor who stood up for herself.
“This should have never happened just because I am the way I am, and it should have never happened just because I was just trying to use the bathroom. But I don’t want people to be scared to stand up for themselves because they think that someone will hurt them all the time,” she told LGBTQ Nation. “I want to be seen as someone that is strong because they tried to ruin my life, but instead, they ruined their own.”
She said the attack has inspired her to finally pursue her long-term dream of becoming a police officer.
“I’m not going to let myself be put down by something like this,” she said.
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