- The Washington Times - Tuesday, March 28, 2023

An activist group said that “hate” toward transgender people “has consequences” in response to Nashville shooter Audrey Hale’s decision to gun down six people at a Christian private school.

The Trans Resistance Network released a statement Monday after the shooting saying the incident involved “not one tragedy, but two.”

“We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers to those families dealing with the loss of loved ones. There is nothing we can offer that will comfort the hurt, or ease the sorrow,” the statement read. “We mourn with you.”

The group then pivoted to Hale, a biological woman who identified as a man, saying Hale’s death was a “more complex tragedy” because the shooter may have felt “he had no other effective way to be seen than to lash out by taking the life of others.”

The statement goes on to say that “life for transgender people is very difficult, and made more difficult in the preceding months by a virtual avalanche of anti-trans legislation, and public callouts by Right Wing personalities and political figures for nothing less than the genocidal eradication of trans people from society.

“All these factors contribute to a population that is medically under-seved and who often face anti-trans bias while accessing care leading to significant physical and mental health disparities,” the group’s statement reads. “Hate has consequences.”

The activists reminded the media to use “He/Him” pronouns when referencing Hale.

According to its website, the Trans Resistance Network says it was “formed to ensure the survival of gender diverse people and families through strategic coordination of community defense, mutual-aid, and alternative systems of gender affirming care.”

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.

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