A man was arrested after he threatened to bomb the offices of Merriam-Webster Dictionary because he strongly objected to how the Massachusetts book publisher defined the words, "girl," "female" and "woman."
The Merriam-Webster offices in Springfield and New York were shut down for five business days as a result of receiving the threat of violence.
According to LGBTQ Nation, Jeremy David Hanson, a 34-year-old from Orange County, California, contacted the publisher through their website last October and commented under the word entry for "female":
“It is absolutely sickening that Merriam Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda."
The Daily Beast reported that Hanson–whom prosecutors say had been targeting "woke" companies with inclusive corporate policies–was identified as a supporter of former President Donald Trump.
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In his rant against Merriam-Webster's inclusive language defining "female," Hanson grumbled:
“There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’"
“The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”
Merriam-Webster has 13 definitions for the entry for "female"–three of which are nouns.
What Hanson likely referred to in his complaint was the description of "female" as an adjective, which reads:
"Having a gender identity that is the opposite of male."
Under the dictionary's definition for "girl," Hanson wrote:
"The moron who created this fake definition should be hunted down and shot. I am sick and tired of these cultural Marxists denying science and destroying the English Language."
"Merriam-Webster headquarters should be shot up and bombed. Boys aren’t girls.”
He allegedly also sent direct messages to Merriam-Webster through its "Contact Us" page on their website, writing:
"I am going to shoot up and bomb your offices for lying and creating fake definitions in order to pander to the tranny mafia… "
"The only good Marxist is a dead Marxist. I will assassinate your top editor. You sickening, vile tranny freaks.”
The Daily Beast also reported that in April 2020, Hansen made a similar threat against Land O' Lakes after the dairy-focused agricultural cooperative announced they would remove the depiction of a Native American woman from all its packaging.
“Land O Lakes headquarters deserve to be shot up and bombed for turning into a cultural Marxist company that panders to political correctness," Hansen wrote on Instagram under the handle, @quinserath1, according to an unnamed Land O' Lakes employee.
FBI Boston Division spokesperson Joseph R. Bonavolonta said of the threat against Merriam Webster:
“We are always going to pursue individuals who try to intimidate and isolate members of our community by inciting violent, hateful acts."
“Threats to life are most certainly not protected speech and they cause real fear in victims.”
Hanson lives with his mother, who said her son is "fixated on transgender issues" and "suffers from developmental disorders, including autism, and is unable to reason through the consequences of making statements that could be construed as threats."
She assured that her son "poses no threat to the community because he is reclusive, she supervises him, and he has no access to weapons.”
Hanson faces a charge for one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence.
The DOJ said he could face up to five years in prison with three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.
He was released under conditions and is scheduled for his first federal court appearance on April 29.
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