'It's a big part of who I am and I don't like pants': Agender boy whose skirt was set on fire in brutal attack leaves burns unit in time for Thanksgiving and won't let bullies win
- High school senior Luke 'Sasha' Fleischman,18, has spent the past three weeks receiving three surgeries for his injuries
- Richard Thomas, 16, has been charged as adult with hate crime after telling police he was 'homophibic'
- Fleischman said he didn't think his attacker should be tried as an adult
- Intends to continue wearing skirts as he doesn't like pants
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An 'agender' teenager set on fire by another boy on a bus three weeks ago was released from a San Francisco burns unit in time for Thanksgiving.
Luke ‘Sasha’ Fleischman, 18 - who does not identify as a man or woman but rather as ‘agender’ - was set on fire on an AC Transit bus in Oakland, California, by another teenager on November 7.
He has spent the past three weeks receiving treatment to second and third degree burns to his legs, but was discharged in time to spend the holiday with his parents.
Luke 'Sasha' Fleischman, 18, has spent the past three weeks receiving treatment to second and third degree burns to his legs, but was discharged in time to spend the holiday with his parents
'It just feels really great to be home, and I'm really glad I can be home for Thanksgiving,' Fleischman told NBC Bay Area on Thursday morning.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, Fleischman said he panicked on seeing and feeling the flames.
'My first instinct was kind of dumb,' Fleischman said. 'I started waving it around trying to put it out with air, but that just fanned the flames and made it bigger.'
Then Sasha did something that he remembered learning in kindergarten, he started to roll around on the ground to put out the flames.
Gender-neutral: Friends refer to 'Sasha', pictured with his parents, as 'they,' them' and 'it'
Despite the attack, Fleischman said he has no intention to stop wearing skirts.
'I'm going to keep wearing the skirt. I'm not going to give it up,' he said. 'It's a big part of who I am and I don't like pants.'
Fleischman's injuries required three surgeries and three weeks in the burn unit, yet he was mature enough to show compassion for his attacker.
Alameda County prosecutors charged 16-year-old Richard Thomas, of Oakland, as an adult with hate crimes after he told authorities he did it because of homophobia.
He faces charges of felony assault and aggravated mayhem with hate crime enhancements.
Standout: Fleischman is a senior at the Maybeck High School in Berkeley, where the principal described the 18-year-old as a 'wonderful, exceptional student'
'I don't want to be too harsh, because people do dumb things, especially when they're teenagers,' Fleischman said.
He doesn't think Richard Thomas should be prosecuted as an adult, even though the teen is not sure what Thomas's intent really was.
'I think it was a really dumb thing he did,' Fleischman said. 'I think you should really know better than to light someone's clothing on fire. You should be able to realize that's not just a funny prank.'
‘Richard Thomas' violent and senseless criminal conduct resulted in severe and traumatic injuries to a young and entirely innocent victim,’ District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said after charges were filed earlier this month.
‘The intentional and callous nature of the crime is shocking and will not be tolerated in our community.’
Earlier this month about half the 100 students at Maybeck High School in Berkeley, where Fleischman is a student, wore skirts for Skirts for Sasha Day and carried signs reading, 'Get well, Sasha, we miss you.'
Reckoning: Richard Thomas, 16, has been arrested and charged as adult with assault and aggravated mayhem with hate crime enhancements in attack on Fleischman
Thomas' mother, who identified herself only as Ms. Jackson, spoke to KGO-TV outside the courtroom.
‘I am very sorry for my son's actions. I did not raise him that way,’ she said, adding: ‘My son is not a hateful person. He's a kid, kids joke around.’
Thomas' mother added that her son regretted his actions and will write the victim a letter of apology.
The junior at Oakland High School was arrested at school after surveillance video from a public bus helped police identify him as the suspected attacker.
Authorities say Thomas used a lighter to set Fleischman's kilt-like skirt on fire while Fleischman was asleep on an AC Transit bus in Oakland at around 5pm, authorities said.
Once the bus driver realized what happened, he stopped the bus and called for assistance but the suspect fled the scene before police arrived.
Motive: Thomas, seen here handcuffed during his arrest, allegedly told investigators that he set the agender teen alight because he was homophobic
Kids being kids: Thomas' relatives, pictured here in the courtroom, said that Richard is not a hateful person, that the incident was a 'joke,' and that he is sorry for his actions
Fleischman's parents said the 18-year-old is a straight-A student who is interested in public transportation and has his sights set on the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology
During an interview with police, Thomas said ‘he did it because he was homophobic,’ Oakland police Officer Anwawn Jones wrote in a court affidavit.
Trevor Cralle, director of the Maybeck High School in Berkeley, where Fleischman is a senior, described the 18-year-old as a ‘wonderful, exceptional student.’
Sasha’s friend Eve Irwin told the Oakland Tribune that those who know the teen use the pronouns ‘they,’ ‘them’ or sometimes ‘it’ when referring to Fleischman.
Fleischman's parents said the 18-year-old is a straight-A student who is interested in public transportation and has his sights set on the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Fleischman's relatives set up a fundraising page for him on Fundly.com, with the hope of raising $20,000 to go toward his medical bills.
The goal was surpassed 24 hour later as more than 400 supporters donated more than $21,000.
Earlier this month about half the 100 students at Maybeck High School in Berkeley, where Fleischman is a student, wore skirts for Skirts for Sasha Day and carried signs reading, ‘Get well, Sasha, we miss you.’
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