Right-Wingers Use Nashville School Shooting To Push Anti-Trans Rhetoric

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Right-wingers seized on the mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday to push anti-trans rhetoric after authorities said the shooter, who was shot dead by police after killing three students and three adults, was transgender.

Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) attacked transgender health care, asking on her congressional Twitter account: “How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking?”

“Everyone can stop blaming guns now,” the extremist lawmaker added.

How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking?

Everyone can stop blaming guns now. — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) March 27, 2023

On her personal account, Greene — no stranger to pushing anti-trans talking points — wrote: “The female Nashville shooter identified as a man. So shouldn’t we just blame white men again?”

The female Nashville shooter identifies as a man.

So shouldn’t we just blame white men again? — Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) March 27, 2023

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, suggested that “rather than talking about guns we should be talking about lunatics pushing their gender affirming bullshit on our kids?”

Given the incredible rise of trans/non-binary mass shooters in the last few years… by far the largest group committing as a percentage of population… maybe, rather than talking about guns we should be talking about lunatics pushing their gender affirming bullshit on our kids? — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 28, 2023

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said that “if early reports are accurate that a trans shooter targeted a Christian school, there needs to be a lot of soul searching on the extreme left.”

“Giving in to these ideas isn’t compassion, it’s dangerous,” the first-year lawmaker added.

We're still learning about the horrific shooting in Nashville. But if early reports are accurate that a trans shooter targeted a Christian school, there needs to be a lot of soul searching on the extreme left. Giving in to these ideas isn't compassion, it's dangerous. — J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) March 27, 2023

In a second post, Vance pushed the “thoughts and prayers” line that is a favorite response of pro-gun conservatives to mass shootings.

In the meantime, say a prayer for every kid who lost their life and every parent mourning a child. Christ have mercy. — J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) March 27, 2023

Charlie Kirk, the founder of the right-wing youth group Turning Point USA, suggested that “instead of banning ‘assault rifles’ we should ban gender affirming care for kids.”

Instead of banning "assault rifles" we should ban gender affirming care for kids. — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 27, 2023

And Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren and former Trump White House aide Sebastian Gorka suggested the media would “bury” news about the shooting because of their gender identity.

If a trans did indeed commit this massacre in Nashville, the story will soon disappear and the media will be back to hunting Trump. I hope I’m wrong but this has been the song and dance every time a tragedy isn’t politically convenient for the Left. — Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) March 27, 2023

Now we know the Nashville shooter was “Trans,” will the media bury the story? — Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) March 28, 2023

All but four of the 172 shooters identified in mass shootings since 1996 are men, according to The Violence Project.

Trans people are four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent crimes, including rape and assault, the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found in a 2021 study.

soraku392 on March 28th, 2023 at 13:45 UTC »

As soon as I heard that the shooter was trans, I knew this would be the shooting they gave a shit about, and for the wrong reason with the wrong takeaway.

I hate how predictable their oppression is

bigearth36 on March 28th, 2023 at 12:47 UTC »

So it is now not too soon to politicize a tragedy right?

Constant-Elevator-85 on March 28th, 2023 at 12:43 UTC »

Isn’t it too soon or not the time for discussion? The first mass shooter they can use as a boogeyman, and now all the sudden we can use talk about shootings? I’d say it was despicable, but the bar is currently chillin with some underground mole people and Jules Verne so here we are.