On March 27, 2023, Audrey Hale, a mass shooter responsible for the deaths of six people, including three children, at a Christian private elementary school in Nashville, took his own life after committing a horrific act of violence. In response, the Trans Resistance Network released an official statement claiming that this tragedy was not one, but two.
While we all mourn the loss of life, it is important to note that the Trans Resistance Network is using this tragedy as a political weapon to push their agenda. By claiming that the tragedy was two-fold, with the second being a lack of acceptance for Hale’s gender identity, they are attempting to blame conservative ideals for the attack.
A group, which describes its mission as defending “the long-term survival and well-being of gender diverse people in a more extreme environment,” released an official statement on Monday insisting that “today’s incident in Nashville, TN is not one tragedy by two.”
“The first tragedy is the loss of life of three children and adults,” the self-described collective wrote.
“The second and more complex tragedy is that Aiden or Audrey Hale, who felt he had no other effective way to be seen than to lash out by taking the life of others, and by consequence, himself.”
"Hate has consequences."
Radical #trans activist group, the Trans Resistance Network, has released a statement mourning the death of the #Nashville Christian school mass shooter. The statement says there were two tragedies, the murder of the children & school staff, & also that… pic.twitter.com/XkbEeqfb7j
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 28, 2023
It is outrageous to suggest that a mass tragedy is the fault of the political beliefs of any particular group. This sort of rhetoric ignores the fact that Audrey Hale was a dangerous individual who had a history of violence and mental health issues. It also ignores the fact that it was the murderer himself, not society, who chose to take such drastic action.
In a separate message the same group mounted the SHOOTER, and the the victims:
The group that posted a statement mourning the death of the #Nashville transgender mass shooter had recently posted a graphic calling for others "to do literally ANYTHING to oppose trans genocide." Posts like this are their dog whistles to political violence. Like terrorist… https://t.co/WlnYOXwmi0 pic.twitter.com/x4ZuegjAy9
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 29, 2023
Not only is it inappropriate to politicize a tragedy, but it is also dangerous. Doing so implies that conservative ideals are somehow to blame for the attack, which creates an environment of fear and hostility towards those with different views.
We must not let tragedies like this be used as a political weapon to push an agenda. We must instead take the time to remember the victims and to mourn the loss of life. We must also remember that the Second Amendment is an important part of our country’s history and must be respected and defended. Finally, we must remember that it was the murderer himself, not society, who chose to commit this heinous act.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
