On May 31, Aurora Rush and Shae Sanders did something wholly legal in Louisiana: they used a public restroom at Cypress Black Bayou Park in Bossier Parish. But a mob of roughly ten people decided to exact brutal punishment for this perceived transgression, leaving Sanders unconscious and Rush with a concussion and massive welts covering her body. What followed next-the police response-proved even more traumatic.
What Happened at the Park
The day had started ordinarily: friends gathered lakeside, grilled hot dogs, and cooled off from the Louisiana heat. Rush and Sanders had been there with their social circle when Rush needed to use the women's restroom. She returned without incident. Later, when Sanders-who is nonbinary but assigned female at birth and typically feels safest in the women's room-went to use the facilities, Rush waited outside in the parking lot.
That's when a man she didn't know began harassing her. He followed her, called her slurs, threatened her if she entered the women's room, and tried to provoke her into fighting. Rush put her belongings in her car and returned to wait near the pavilion outside the restroom, hoping to avoid confrontation.
There was no getting out of it. I could feel people behind me breathing down my neck.
Aurora Rush
By the time Sanders emerged from the restroom, a crowd of about ten people had formed around Rush. Sanders describes seeing their partner terrified, surrounded by men and women screaming profanities and threats.
Source: Erin in the Morning
Cover photo: Kindel Media / Pexels
