Woman charged after alleged knife attack on boy over gay Discord messages
Grether Leidy Guadarramas Pena was arrested (Image: WPLG/Local 10 News)
Police in Florida City, Florida arrested 41-year-old Grether Leidy Guadarramas Pena on a felony child abuse charge after she allegedly cut a young male family member with a knife when she saw online messages and images expressing his homosexuality.
The boy’s name and his age has not been publicly revealed. A Miami-Dade judge has found probable cause for the charge, according to WPLG.
The boy told investigators that his brother discovered his private, gay-related messages and images on Discord and showed them to another family member, who then forced him to stand facing a wall until Pena came home. The incident was reported to have happened on the afternoon of Saturday, 15 March.
What allegedly happened
When Pena saw the messages and images, a Florida City Police Department officer wrote in an official report that she reportedly “grabbed him by the arm and took him into the kitchen,” where she “grabbed a knife and held his arm against the counter”.
The officer wrote that Pena then told another male family member to help hold the boy’s hand down. The boy’s arm was allegedly cut during the incident, before the family member pushed Pena away.
Pena then reportedly cut the boy’s hair with scissors.
The boy reportedly told a school teacher about the alleged assault, and police arrested Pena after. Pena later refused to talk with officers when they followed up on the allegations the following Wednesday.
Young LGBTQ+ people facing risks
The case has drawn attention to the risks LGBTQ+ young people can face at home after being outed. As per LGBTQ Nation, a 2023 Trevor Project study found that 38% of queer youth said their home affirmed their sexual orientation or gender identity.
A 2024 Trevor Project study found that 30% of cisgender youth felt safe and understood on Discord, while 74% said they go online to connect with others because it is difficult to do so in their daily lives, and 73% said they could be their complete selves online.
Florida City sits in Miami-Dade County, where debates about LGBTQ+ safety and support in public life have been visible, including a Florida LGBTQ+ ‘safe places’ programme coming under threat.
