Man Pleads Not Guilty to Hate Crime of a Trans Woman

A man pleaded not guilty to violently assaulting trans woman Nikki Armstrong in Renton, Washington last week.

According to PinkNews, the attack occurred at about 8:20 p.m. on September 15 in the 200 block in Burnett Ave St.

Despite 25-year-old Ranmore Edwards having turned himself in—only after one of his family members recognized his photo on Crime Stoppers—Edwards pleaded not guilty to assault and committing a hate crime. Additionally, he’s being held on a $300,000 bail due to prosecutors suggesting public safety concerns.

Edwards isn’t the only one charged with Armstrong’s assault. Two brothers, one 15 and the other 17, were charged with second-degree assault towards Armstrong. They were released under the conditions that they stay electronically monitored.

Armstrong spoke about the attack in an interview with PinkNews, claiming that she no longer feels safe in America due to the administration, saying, “Trump has all but green-lit this type of violence.” She followed that up by stating that she initially felt “scared and angry” but that those feelings have “turned to sadness.”

To help cover healthcare costs, Armstrong launched a GoFundMe, initially asking for $20,000 to cover surgery to repair her nose and eye socket. As of today, her campaign has raised over $38,000, almost reaching her updated goal of $40,000.

In her interview, Armstrong claimed that the stress of paying for both medical bills and rent has been alleviated by these donations. She says, “That anxiety has been lifted and I can’t begin to put into words what that means to me. I can focus on my recovery and I’m ever so grateful.”

According to GLAAD’s anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism Reporting Tracker, between May 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025, “52% of all incidents were targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming people.” We’ve seen several examples of these attacks against trans people. Last year, transgender teen Cameron Thompson was shot and killed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Much of this increase in anti-LGBTQ+ and specifically anti-trans attacks is presumably due to the Trump administration’s adamant vilification of the trans community. With republicans having introduced 575 anti-LGBTQ+ state bills this year alone.

These transphobic bills being proposed only encourage the further dehumanization and attacking of trans people—both physically and emotionally.

Photo Courtesy of social media