WASHINGTON — The cellphone video posted to Twitter on Saturday begins by showing Saoirse Gowan on board a Metro train. A fellow passenger wearing jeans can be seen sitting nearby, as the sound of the moving train can be heard.
Seconds later, a barrage of hateful and transphobic words is heard from the man as he stands up and walks toward the woman.
For nearly 60 seconds in the video, the man curses at Gowan and tells her "you don't belong on this (expletive) Metro."
That quote was among the tamest she heard against her.
The man backs off and sits down as a police officer enters the train at the end of the video.
Two days after it was first posted, the Twitter video that Gowan uploaded has been viewed over 600,000 times.
For Gowan, the feelings of living through the moment will be something she never forgets.
"It was genuinely the most terrifying experience of my life," she said. "I think if I hadn’t been lucky enough to have a transit officer arrive when he did, I could have potentially been the victim of actual violence.”
On Monday, the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) confirmed the weekend incident and said no charges had been filed yet.
"The MTPD officer interviewed both individuals and took identification information," a statement read. "The officer removed the man from the train and the complainant continued on. The complainant did not want to pursue this as a criminal matter and a police information report was subsequently taken to document the incident."
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority added that MTPD continues to investigate the case and will present information to the U.S. Attorney's Office about whether charges should be filed.
Speaking with WUSA9 on Monday, Gowan said she chose not to file any charges due to the threat incarcerated trans women may face if the man is put behind bars.
"I generally don’t think that shifting transphobes into prisons, where trans women are often unjustly incarcerated alongside cis men and cis transphobes, is a real solution," she said. "I don’t trust that the solutions to these problems are found in the criminal justice system.”
Instead, Gowan took aim at the hateful language used against transgender people by politicians today. She believed the words used by the man on the Metro are used by others as a way to attack trans people.
"It's the language people use to justify individual acts of violence," Gowan said. "It’s the excuses being given by homophobes and transphobes for violence.”
Moving forward, Gowan said regular folks can help by using de-escalation techniques in similar situations.
She also said community support would go a long way.
"The day after this happened to me, someone shared that they had been sexually harassed for being trans on Metro literally less than 24 hours after what happened to me," Gowan said. "This is not an isolated incident. Trans people need more support to feel safe.”
Following the incident, the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America voiced support for Gowan and called for DC Council to better protect transgender individuals.
"Last night, one of our Metro D.C. DSA comrades was harassed and filmed without her consent for being a trans woman riding the Metro," a statement by the group read. "This is no coincidence or isolated incident. The person who attacked our comrade echoed common conservative rhetoric that has been gaining national traction."
The group added that non-transgender people can help by calling out transphobia as it is happening.
"We deserve a world where everyone can feel safe to be themselves, where trans kids can grow into trans adults, and where our transgender comrades can not just exist but can thrive and live their fullest lives," the group said.