A Concord man is accused of violating the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act after using a homophobic slur and punching a transgender woman last year, authorities said.
Travis Lufkin, 24, was outside a Speedway gas station in downtown Concord one evening last May when an employee there, a transgender woman identified only as S.K., stepped outside and asked him to leave, according to a complaint filed by the attorney general’s Civil Rights Unit. The employee had problems with Lufkin before and asked him to leave the store on multiple prior occasions.
Lufkin then called S.K. a homophobic slur, hit her in the face and engaged in a physical fight before fleeing on a bicycle. The assault left the employee with multiple cuts, a swollen cheek and bruising on the sides of her neck, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The employee called Concord Police, who recognized Lufkin on surveillance video and knew him to be homeless and living in Concord. The next day, Lufkin went to the Concord Police Department after learning they were searching for him. He eventually confirmed the assault and “repeatedly and intentionally” misgendered the employee during his interview, even after learning that she is transgender. He also interrupted a police officer to ask them to stop referring to the victim as “she.”
After the interview, Concord Police arrested Lufkin and charged him with second-degree assault, simple assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
The complaint from the Civil Rights Unit argued that Lufkin’s actions were motivated by the victim’s gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Prosecutors also asked the judge to fine Lufkin $5,000 and establish a three-year restraining order that would prohibit him from hate-motivated criminal activity, contacting the employee or her family, and require him to stay away from the individual’s home and place of work.
