Jey McCreight is an old friend I’ve known since they were a an undergraduate studying biology in Indiana. I’ve been happy to see their accomplishments over the years: grad school, a post-doc, landing a job at 23andMe as a genomics expert. They were also an activist in the atheist movement — Jey was one of the minds behind Atheism+, and we all know how well that effort to incorporate more humanism into atheism went. Now they are still an activist, founding the organization BeyondXandY arguing that biology is nonbinary and that people are more than their chromosomes. Jey clearly is bold and optimistic enough to take on noble causes in spite of all the haters, and doing the right thing as a trans man has got to be one of the braver things they have done.
Last month, this happened:
McCreight said they had been advertising the event with flyers across the city that included their photo and had also appeared in the local LGBTQ+ publication, Windy City Times. They assume the event’s publicity is how the attacker recognized them.
“I’m telling this story now because I’m finally in a place where I can talk about it without really freaking out badly,” McCreight said, explaining that there are still a lot of gaps in their memory of that night, but they think they were walking home alone from getting food.
The attacker asked if they were McCreight, and McCreight cheerfully confirmed, assuming it might be someone who appreciated their work.
“He very quickly pushed me to the ground and started repeatedly punching me in the eye,” McCreight said. “Afterward, I thought he had maybe hit me with a brick or something because it was so painful. I had never been beat up before in my life.”
McCreight said the attacker also used a pocket knife to cut them all over their body, but not deep enough to leave permanent damage.
“It was very scary. He even tried to strangle me briefly with something that thankfully didn’t work well and just kind of left an abrasion on my neck.”
McCreight said they don’t remember how they got away or if the person eventually just let them go. But somehow, they got home. It took them over a day to realize they needed an ambulance because they were in such a daze.
But on May 1, McCreight recounted, they realized they needed help. An ambulance took them to Chicago’s Advocate Health Center, where they said they received excellent care, which included emergency surgery on their eye. After that, it took weeks for their vision to return to normal.
“I think it’s really important for people to know that this is the reality of being trans in the United States,” they said. “I’m a non-violent nerdy cat guy who likes talking about science and wants to be the next Bill Nye, and because of that, someone basically tried to kill me or at least beat me up bad enough to scare me into silence.”
They said for a little bit, they considered giving up their public-facing activism in the wake of the attack. But then, hospital staff of all kinds – from doctors to nurses to the people bringing them meals – all learned about McCreight’s work and told them to keep going.
“They all told me not to give up on my dream.”
Horrifying. That some guy would just turn and attack a friendly, nerdy fellow walking down the street because they are trans is appalling. Listen to them telling their own story, and support BeyondXandY.
Sorry to hear of this attack on Jey. Jey was a graduate student in my department, the Genome Sciences Department, and completed a Ph.D. with us. And was well-liked by lots of us.
PZ, this type of vile incident (which is getting more common with every passing day) is such a clear, disgusting indicator of how barbaric this society is now. There are so many hateful, violent knuckle-dragging cowards; all inspired, encouraged by and members of the magat xtian terrorist cults. And, they are making it so dangerous for decent, caring people to go out in public. I have friends that are a lot like Jey, in that they are kind, peaceful and giving, but they don’t fit into the tight, white, uptight stereotype that is all that is acceptable to the magat xtian terrorist cults. I am sure that if I were as open and public about what my values are, I, too, would be as much of a target as Jey.
Why do all these rightwingnut, macho, magat, xtian terrorists have a such a diseased fixation on sex and gender?
Well, I guess that violent, human-like tendencies are spreading further and faster than I feared:
https://featureassets.gocomics.com/assets/2c7a589020e0013fc02e005056a9545d
While that comic is funny, the reality here is NOT.
sounds like it happened in chicago, for a moment i was wondering if it could be related to the trans girl that was murdered with a knife in seattle recently. ;_;
This is made possible by the hateful propaganda of Trump-style populists all over the world.
.
Going off on a tangent (giving you a bit of good news), the gangster Trump wants to emulate – and who has criminalised the whole LGTBQ community- is getting a bloody nose as his troops no longer can ship supplies to the front without getting their supply depots blasted.
Putin is an even worse loser than Trump. And they will both fall.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=jIxLESeZiws
Shermanj @ 3
Brewster Rockit is usually aimed at a rather young audience. I appreciate that they came up with a joke for us oldies.
.
Also, those exposed to Star Trek and other series with extra-terrestrials should find it easier to rise above anti-minority hate speech.
@6 birgerjohansson and 3 Shermanj
I read Brewster Rocket every day. Love it.
Some people are vicious, I’m glad the outcome wasn’t worse.
I hope Jey is and will be ok. Awful.
Also, is there some place we can donate?
Horrific news and relieved that Jey is okay. My best wishes for thei full and fast recovery and glad the outcome wasn’t much worse.
The consequences of the Trump victory and the transphobia and empowering of the reichwing it has brought with it are seriously grim and deeply worrying. Socio-cultural trends which had been looking good and progressing towards acceptance and freedom and things getting better and fairer for more people have now gone so far back to the regressive not good but evil ole days so very far and frighteningly quickly.
The world needs far more Science Guys and far less hate and bigotry.
This is scientifically established truth that needs to far better known and not mere arguement or something that’s up for debate. That people consider it “arguanble” and have to still argue for it is .. depressing. But yeah, we’re going backwards aren’t we in so many ways.
I hadn’t seen them since those days. The transformation is stunning. The care and effort and expense and deliberation that goes into rebuilding a body should inspire awe not rage.
indianajones @ 10:
Yes, they have a GoFundMe fundraiser, here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-trans-activist-jey-mccreight-recover-from-hate-crime
@ StevoR
Dude, your sentiments are admirable but you’ve got the causality backward. It’s not Trump therefore transphobia and fascism. It’s transphobia and fascism therefore Trump.
Prior to the transphobic assault, Jey did an interview with “friendly atheist” blogger Hemant Metha for anyone interested in what Jey’s been up to since FtB days (PZ didn’t say but he was a blogger here back in the day and and not an insignificant one).
@14 “Dude, your sentiments are admirable but you’ve got the causality backward. It’s not Trump therefore transphobia and fascism. It’s transphobia and fascism therefore Trump.”
I agree that a culture of transphobia and racism promotes figures like Trump as leaders. These leaders then amplify and empower this culture, so it’s not exactly backwards to say that Trump enabled these kinds of attacks. Fuck those assholes, hope they can find the attacker and send them to jail.
I wish Jey the best, I remember and was inspired by them. Back in the day Boobquake was hilarious and we need more courageous people like that.
I too, hope Jey will be able to heal physically and emotionally from that horrific assault and that they don’t have to face such a trauma again.
I posted the below on another PZ article. But, we must be aware of the evil hatred and violence directed at those that are not members of the straight, white, uptight cult of idiots and bigots.
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/6/1/800048686/culture/happy-pride-month-these-states-are-just-ignoring-it-completely/
Happy Pride Month! These states are just … ignoring it completely by Emily Singer 20260601
Ty Xanthe
That’s horrible and horrific.
Jey I’m so sorry and outraged about that.
@15. kurt1 :
Truth. Thanks.
Yes, its an escalating feedback cycle where the transphobia that promotes peoplelike Trumpand reichwing bigots generally then gets promoted and empowers ever more extreme Overton-window pushing of hatred, bigotry oppressionand ultimately genocide.
If Kamala had become POTUS instead; it would’ve been a stabilising feedback.- a rejection and a blow and a check on that that would’ve seen transphobic bigotry along with other reichwing bigotry more generally seen as less rather than more acceptable and common and shifted the Overton window towards more progressive views and discourse.
I hope they catch the guy who did that to Jey and throw him in prison for a couple of decades.