It's a sad cycle that keeps repeating itself and we must stop it now.Īgain, this kind of rhetoric is ultimately a distraction, but we can't fall for it. These are people who have a position to influence their followers and inflict this bigotry within them as well. Some of them are even pastors, so-called good, God-fearing Baptists. The sad aspect of this is that many people fall for it. So, they instead place blame on an oppressed group who is an easy target. In this case, it's the lack of interest in gun control from certain conservative figures.
It's used as a distraction by politicians as a way to deflect from their own wrongdoings. Ultimately, this kind of prejudice is common when tragedy like this strikes. The men blamed the trans community for the shooting and told her she was "perverting kids instead of killing them." According to the 17-year-old, the men used transphobic slurs and grabbed her arm to twist her body. One trans girl said she was attacked outside a library by four men in El Paso, Texas. We're already seeing the results of this false and transphobic claim. "I don't understand why we'd celebrate what used to be a crime not long ago," he said. In his now-viral speech, Shelley cited the Bible (shocker) and seemed to advocate for capital punishment towards LGBTQ+ people. He was there on behalf of those within the community who no longer wanted the town to celebrate Pride. Jonathan Shelley, a pastor at Stedfast Baptist Church, recently spoke to Arlington City Council. This kind of bigotry towards LGBTQ+ individuals exists in Texas as well. It's incredibly rich that the same party who is all about condemning fake news, will gladly spread it when it serves their agenda. This is yet another false statement.Īrizona Representative Paul Gosar also made similar claims, calling the shooter "a transsexual leftist illegal alien" in a since-deleted tweet.
Owens also falsely claimed the shooter was a cross-dresser, implying that being trans is the same thing as cross-dressing. Owens not only claimed that the shooter was trans, she claimed this was the mental illness which led the person to carry out the attack. She also called on fellow Reddit users to report posts on social media which falsely claim she is the shooter.ĭespite this being a clear case of fake news, Candace Owens took to her Twitter to fuel the flames anyway. This rumor reportedly began on Reddit, where the woman posted to clarify that she isn't the attacker.
Photographs of a transgender woman began circulating online, with many claiming she was the shooter. However, these are people whose victim complex is stronger than their need for safeguards following the death of innocent children. Oh yes, I wouldn't have guessed they would stoop that low, either. Instead, they not only decide to unnecessarily play the victim, but spew transphobia. Much of the right-wing refuses to listen. What needs to happen is a healthy dialogue where everyone listens to each other. I truly believe that until this happens, we won't get anywhere when it comes to gun control. I hope all the survivors have access to good therapy and prioritize their mental health. These children were robbed of their innocence and have to live with this trauma for the rest of their lives. This is a horrific and disturbing robbery. No child should be in a situation where they even think to do this. She decided to cover herself in her friend's blood, lay on the floor, and play dead. One of the survivors, an 11-year-old girl, described her fear that the gunman would come back for her. They're complicit in the murder of those children and they have to live with that every single day. These officers now have blood on their hands. They're supposed to serve and protect, not act like cowards. Even if it's true, they should have still went into the school and removed the children. I don't buy their excuse of believing the gunman was barricaded. I believe the police should be held accountable for their lack of action. "From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course it was not the right decision," he said.