Man Charged With Alleged Sexual Assault Of S. Austin Drag Queen

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — A man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a noted drag queen in her South Austin home, according to reports.

Christi Long, whose stage name is Christi Foxx Paris, shared a harrowing tale of assault with KXAN about the night she was hanging out in her South Austin home with a man she thought was a friend. After the man was in her home last Sunday, Long says he got rough with her before allegedly sexually and physically assaulting her.

The victim — something of an icon in the local drag queen scene — said she repeatedly asked the man to leave without success. Finally able to escape to her backyard where she hid behind a fence, Long finally saw the man leave. But the ordeal before included her being hit in the back of the head with a hammer, injuries that required a dozen medical staples, she told the news station. Throughout the night, she came in and out of consciousness, she added.

The Austin American-Statesman identified the man charged with sexual assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as Eric Nelson, 29. He was arrested on Wednesday, the newspaper reported.

Feeling lucky to be alive, Long now awaits justice not only for her but for other unknown victims of the transgender community comprising members often averse to reporting crimes against them or seeing their plight under-reported or marginalized: “All he’s done is empowered me,” Long told the news station. “He’s going to make me stop him from doing this to someone else, and that’s the important thing.”

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