On Monday, a horrific mass shooting occurred at a private Christian school in Nashville, claiming the lives of three students and three adults. Authorities alleged the shooter was transgender which led right-wing extremists to immediately weaponize the tragedy to spread anti-trans rhetoric.
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene used the opportunity to attack transgender healthcare.
She wrote:
“How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking?”
“Everyone can stop blaming guns now."
You can see Greene's tweet below.
Greene followed up this tweet with even more blatant transphobia from her personal account, writing:
"The female Nashville shooter identifies as a man. So shouldn't we just blame white men again?"
You can see Greene's tweet below.
Greene's comments amount to completely absurd and unfounded accusations as there is no evidence administering testosterone or receiving mental health treatment makes someone more prone to violence.
Moreover, Greene's tweet conveniently ignores the fact that the United Statess has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the world, with nearly 49,000 gun-related deaths reported in 2021 alone.
The Violence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying gun violence, found that 98 percent of public mass shootings since 1966 have been committed by men. It also found that 35 of the deadliest shootings in history have taken place in the last decade.
These statistics show that the issue of gun violence in the U.S. is a complex problem that cannot be reduced to oversimplified, transphobic talking points.
Many condemned Greene's remarks.
Greene joined the chorus of conservatives—including Donald Trump Jr. and Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance—who railed about gender-affirming care in the aftermath of the shooting.
Despite their remarks, it's worth noting that the shooter's gender identity is not relevant to the tragedy at hand. The focus should be on the lives lost and the families and communities affected by this senseless act of violence.
Twitter later restricted Greene's account in part because of remarks she made about the Nashville shooting.
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