Not what we needed to have in the news

[Marcie Jensen]

This is tragic on so many levels it defies description. It also gives the entire community a metaphorical black eye. The difference in reporting is stark. See the links below:

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nashville-christian-school-shooter-appears-former-student-police-chief-rcna76876

 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/nashville-school-shooting-6-killed-including-3-students-shooter-dead

 

To say this makes me sick at heart is an understatement.

[April Marie]

My heart breaks for these families and the community. We've clearly, as a society, lost any moral compass and respect for the sanctity of life.

 

I wonder what the "manifesto" will reveal about the murderer - shooter is too generic a term. Let's call it what it is. Cold blooded murder.

[Marcie Jensen]

April, you are SO right.

[Ivy]

I guess this time they didn't misgender her.

[Carolyn Marie]

You're all right; this is yet another unspeakable tragedy.  Six lives taken for no good reason.  We'll just have to wait on the details of who the shooter is and what her motivation was.  She apparently left many clues.

 

The written accounts from the two links were fairly straightforward; I didn't watch the Fox News video.  We can expect that to change by tomorrow, and we should all prepare mentally for how ugly this is going to get.  It won't be enough to call out this deranged and angry woman and condemn her for her crimes.  Our community will be the target.  I cringe at the thought.

 

Carolyn Marie

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Yep, the media will make this about trans folks.  But broad-brush painting of someone's group affiliation is what they do best.  See it with just about every shooting. 

 

These awful events are a human problem, a mental health problem, and yes...a sin problem that goes back to Cain and Abel.  Trans folks are human, so we'll have trans criminals too.  For others to demand that LGBTQ+ folks be some perfect "model minority" and proclaim every flaw they find is unfair and ridiculous, but that seems like what is expected right now. 🙄

 

On another aspect of the topic, there is speculation that the shooter chose that school for its lack of security as compared to others.  At least where I live, that seems to be the focus at the moment.  

[Charlize]

I feel so sorry for the children , parents and others involved.  An event like that can scar anyone!  Hopefully it won't create more violence and discord, scaring even more people.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Marcie Jensen]

8 hours ago, Carolyn Marie said:

You're all right; this is yet another unspeakable tragedy.  Six lives taken for no good reason.  We'll just have to wait on the details of who the shooter is and what her motivation was.  She apparently left many clues.

 

The written accounts from the two links were fairly straightforward; I didn't watch the Fox News video.  We can expect that to change by tomorrow, and we should all prepare mentally for how ugly this is going to get.  It won't be enough to call out this deranged and angry woman and condemn her for her crimes.  Our community will be the target.  I cringe at the thought.

 

Carolyn Mariee

You've hit the proverbial nail on the head, Carolyn Marie, on all points. I was so appalled that I did something I rarely do anymore. I tried to watch some of the talking heads last night on Fox and CNN. It was a mistake. On every one, the victims were being used as a springboard for invective and to push a particular point of view; either gun control, anti-trans rhetoric or both. There was real sympathy or concern for the victims, families, the shooter (who clearly needed help before this tragedy), the first responders or anyone else. 

 

And, you are 100% correct--our community will be the target. I fear this will be like throwing gasoline on a fire in terms of the hatred it will stir up.

[Ivy]

I don't watch Fox News, but I do look at their website.  It was all over the top of it this morning, and of course every one pointed out that she was a trans-woman.

 

This will dovetail nicely into the recent calls for trans people to arm themselves.  And it fits into the TERF talking point that trans-women are really dangerous, violent men.  They've been trying to blame these shootings on transpeople for awhile now.  I guess they finally got their wish.

 

It will be interesting to see what she wrote.  I could see despair at the recent laws being passed in Tenn.  That stuff makes me suicidal.  But I've never understood killing a bunch of innocent people to make some sort of point.

 

As tragic as this is, I don't see anything changing other than a bit more hate thrown at the trans community, such as it is.  I better stop writing now.

 

[Betty K]

Oh god, no. She was a trans girl? That is tragic all round, for the victims and for the trans community. I'm so deeply sorry to hear this news.

[Marcie Jensen]

4 minutes ago, Betty K said:

Oh god, no. She was a trans girl? That is tragic all round, for the victims and for the trans community. I'm so deeply sorry to hear this news.

Actually, it may be that Fox got it wrong when they said transwoman. (No surprise there.) It seems she had a Facebook account using the pronouns "he/him" and her mother was quoted as saying "my daughter's gone." This kinda muddies the waters. Regardless, it's a tragedy all the way around.

[VickySGV]

The NBC article in the OP quotes an old principal of the school as having a picture of this person as a lower grade girl student for two years.  Designated female at birth!!

 

[Marcie Jensen]

Hmm. Missed that in my initial read, Vicky, thanks. And the Police Chief has repeatedly called the individual a "transwoman." Curiouser and curiouser. 

[Ivy]

37 minutes ago, VickySGV said:

The NBC article in the OP quotes an old principal of the school as having a picture of this person as a lower grade girl student for two years.  Designated female at birth!!

I doubt that this will make it onto Fox News.

[April Marie]

Definitely odd - Audrey Hale is the name used so perhaps he/she never legally had a name change(?). Pictures from security video lean toward male appearance or at least androgynous. 

 

In the end, though, my heart aches for the families who have lost loved ones. These senseless murders do nothing but further divide us. 

[Marcie Jensen]

1 minute ago, April Marie said:

In the end, though, my heart aches for the families who have lost loved ones. These senseless murders do nothing but further divide us. 

Most cogent comment in this thread. The shooter's gender identity should not overshadow the tragedy. I am humbled.

[April Marie]

16 minutes ago, Marcie Jensen said:

Most cogent comment in this thread. The shooter's gender identity should not overshadow the tragedy. I am humbled.

My comment wasn't meant as a dig - just a statement that all of these horrific killings get used to point fingers at some sector of the population for political gain. It's just natural for us to vocalize the fears of what will follow, of the inaccuracies that are spewed and never corrected, of the hate because we see it all too often. 

 

Our society has become locked into the false reality of "the easy fix" to solve any problem with out short attention span and unwillingness to chose the hard right over the easy wrong.....and the senseless murders continue, families are ripped apart and groups scapegoated instead.

 

I guess I'm feeling emotional today watching this all transpire...again. Sorry if I offended you - you're awesome and so very insightful.

[KathyLauren]

2 hours ago, Marcie Jensen said:

Actually, it may be that Fox got it wrong when they said transwoman. (No surprise there.) It seems she had a Facebook account using the pronouns "he/him" and her mother was quoted as saying "my daughter's gone." This kinda muddies the waters. Regardless, it's a tragedy all the way around.

 

1 hour ago, VickySGV said:

The NBC article in the OP quotes an old principal of the school as having a picture of this person as a lower grade girl student for two years.  Designated female at birth!!

 

 

Trans man, trans woman, non-binary...  Whatever the shooter's identity (and we can count on the media to get it wrong one way or another), you can be sure that they will spin in in some way to paint all trans people as evil and dangerous.  That is their agenda, and, regardless of the facts, that is the message they want to promote.

[Marcie Jensen]

@April Marie, I didn't take it as a dig at all. I was simply reminded that the focus ought to be on the victims instead of the shooter's gender identity. They're I meant to compliment you.

 

Also, @KathyLaurenyou raise a great point about the media.

[KymmieL]

Unfortunate loss of life for 6 people, tragic that the shooter had to resort to this. The blame may be miss directed. 

 

Kymmie

[VickySGV]

A point being made in a few other places where I am following this event, is that mental health care, particularly for Trans people is close to non-existent there in Tennessee unless of course it is Conversion Therapy offered through Trans averse sources.

[Vidanjali]

18 hours ago, Ivy said:

I guess this time they didn't misgender her.

 

If the shooter was indeed trans, evidently all news outlets are misgendering. 

 

https://www.axios.com/2023/03/27/covenant-school-nashville-shooting-what-we-know

• "In response to a reporter's question, police confirmed Hale identified as transgender but provided no further details on it at the press conference. Police later said Hale was a biological female but had a social media account with male pronouns." 

The whole story, including manifesto, remains to be unraveled to the extent it can be. At the risk of insinuating conspiracy, with this lack of clarity what comes to mind is the Colorado Club Q shooter who claimed nonbinary ID after arrest. That murderer is suspected of trolling the trans community by feigning trans ID. 

 

https://www.metroweekly.com/2022/12/is-the-club-q-shooter-trolling-by-claiming-to-be-nonbinary/

[Betty K]

This is part of the problem with misgendering, it just leads to confusion. As to the shooter being AFAB, I guess it plays less into TERF tropes than if they were AMAB, but I agree it’s still bad news for all of us if they turn out to be trans. 

[Willow]

I watched ABC tonight and there was no mention of being transgender.  They interviewed the friend who received a text from the shooter.  The friend referred to her and the connection was they had been on a basketball team together.  None of this explains whether she was actually transgender or not only that she was being seen by a doctor for a mental disorder.  I was under the impression that gender Dysphoria was not listed as a mental disorder.

 

but I agree, that should not be part of the media coverage.  Even if she was it’s no different than so many other school shooters.  But it is a good way to get suicide by cop.

[Betty K]

1 hour ago, Willow said:

I was under the impression that gender Dysphoria was not listed as a mental disorder.

You’re absolutely correct Willow. However, only two years ago I encountered a doctor — a doctor claiming to be a gender specialist, no less — who apparently had not received the memo, and still spoke of Gender Identity Disorder. If she could make that mistake then a journalist definitely could.