Brianna Westbrook, a transgender leader within the Arizona Democratic Party, was arrested on July 10 and charged with third-degree burglary and aggravated assault using a simulated deadly weapon. Westbrook, 41, who holds the position of education coordinator for the Arizona Democratic Party and is a former vice chair, allegedly entered the Phoenix home of an ex-partner without consent and initiated a role-playing scenario involving a knife and duct tape.
According to police reports, Westbrook pushed her way into the home after the ex-partner answered the door. The alleged victim reported that Westbrook shoved her onto a couch, brandishing a knife and duct tape, and ordered her to remain there. The victim’s sister intervened, and witnesses stated Westbrook made a lunging motion with the knife before fleeing the scene. Police later found a knife, tape, and gloves during a search of Westbrook’s residence.
Westbrook, who is also affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, told authorities that the incident was a "misunderstanding" and that she and the ex-partner had "agreed to re-enact a scene where Westbrook scares the victim to help her deal with prior childhood trauma of abuse" and that they were "into BDSM." Westbrook claimed the knife was fake and suggested the alleged victim was responsible for informing her family about the planned scene.
The ex-partner disputed Westbrook’s account, stating that no such scene had been planned. In addition to the felony charges, Westbrook was also charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. She was released on $15,000 bond and has a court appearance scheduled.
Westbrook previously made history as the highest-ranking openly transgender person in the Arizona Democratic Party and ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat in 2018. The incident has drawn attention to her role within the state's political landscape.