TL;DR
- Texas man defended a trans woman from a violent attack at a public pool.
- He was brutally assaulted, suffering a broken jaw and concussion.
- Community donations and a generous surgeon covered his reconstructive surgery.
- Two men have been charged with aggravated assault.
- His bravery spotlights the ongoing violence against trans people — and the power of solidarity.
Texas Hero’s Jaw Gets Rebuilt After Standing Up for Trans Woman
Call it courage, call it Texas-sized heart, but 33-year-old Jarod Adkison proved that real masculinity is defending those who need it — not attacking them. The Austin construction worker was enjoying the weekend vibes at Barton Springs Pool when he spotted three allegedly drunk men harassing a group of women, including a trans woman. When the insults turned into physical violence, Adkison did what too few do: he stepped in.
Adkison said he “wasn’t trying to fight,” just trying to get the bigots to move along. But one of the attackers wasn’t interested in reason. A punch to the back of Adkison’s head knocked him out cold. He woke up in a hospital with a fractured jaw, a concussion, and — in a detail straight out of a horror script — a shard of his jawbone lodged in his ear. The man literally risked his face to protect a woman’s dignity.
Worse? His employer doesn’t offer health insurance. Yes, welcome to America: land of the free, unless you get your face smashed for defending someone — then it’s GoFundMe or bust. His parents launched a fundraiser to cover reconstructive surgery and living expenses during recovery, eventually pulling in more than $74,000 from strangers who understood that what he did was heroic.
Community Outshines Hate
Despite Jarod insisting he didn’t want to “ask for help,” support flooded in. But the real plot twist came courtesy of Dr. CJ Langevin from Wellspring Plastic Surgery, who offered to perform the jaw repair for just $1,400 — basically the cost of booking the surgical room. The surgeon praised Adkison as “an amazing patient,” and by early October, Jarod was fully recovered, jaw wired and healed.
Two men, Joshua McKeith Bell, 28, and Matthew Robert Villanueva, 29, are now facing aggravated assault charges. Jarod? He isn’t bitter. In fact, he said he holds “no ill will,” but made it clear: “You can’t go around sucker punching people and putting people in hospital.” Classy. Grace under literal fire.
But let’s be clear — this shouldn’t require a hero. Trans people, especially trans women, are disproportionately targeted with violence. The LGBTQ community knows this story too well: the abuse comes quickly, the justice crawls, and the burden falls on bystanders to step in. Jarod did. And that changes lives.
For every hateful headline about anti-trans laws, bathroom policing, or violent attacks, stories like this one show that courage is contagious. Jarod’s quick action protected a trans woman from what could have escalated into lifelong trauma. His recovery — supported by queer folks, allies, and strangers — is a glittery middle finger to the culture of hate.
This moment is a reminder that the fight against anti-trans violence isn’t just for the LGBTQ community to carry. Cis allies stepping up, physically, vocally, financially, is how change happens. Jarod proved that real allyship doesn’t stop at a rainbow profile picture in June — sometimes it’s messy, risky, and comes with a hospital wristband.
If one Texas guy with no health insurance can make a stand, imagine what society could do if it stopped treating trans people like political talking points and started treating them like human beings worthy of safety.
Jarod’s jaw may have been shattered, but the trans community saw something unbreakable: solidarity.
Because the only thing that should be cracking at a pool party is a can of seltzer — not a hero’s jaw for daring to defend a trans woman.