- The Washington Times - Friday, March 31, 2023

Organizers of a Trans Day of Vengeance protest in front of the Supreme Court have called off the event over what they describe as a “credible threat to life and safety.”

The Trans Radical Activist Network posted a notice on TikTok announcing that the rally scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday had been canceled and would be replaced by an online event to be held at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“This action will not be taking place Saturday due to a credible threat to life and safety,” the group said in a Thursday notice on TikTok. “The safety of our trans community is first priority. This threat is a direct result of the flood of raw hatred directed toward the trans community after the Tennessee shooting.”

The protest calling for “vengeance” drew fierce criticism in the aftermath of Monday’s deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville by a woman who identified as male. The assailant was shot dead by police after killing six people, including three children.

Twitter automatically removed more than 5,000 posts advertising the rally, tweeting: “We do not support tweets that incite violence irrespective of who posts them.”

“’Vengeance’ does not imply peaceful protest. Organizing or support for peaceful protests is OK,” said Ella Irwin, Twitter chief of trust and safety.

The group denied that the protest was intended to promote violence.

“Vengeance means fighting back with vehemence. We are fighting against false narratives, criminalization and eradication of our existence,” the group said in a statement earlier this week.

The event’s name was a take on International Transgender Day of Visibility, held on March 31 each year.

 

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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