When A Trans Person Murders Christian Schoolchildren

The media often follows a pre-set narrative when mass shootings occur, taking into account the identities of the shooter and the victims. In the case of a self-identified trans man who shot up a Christian school in Nashville, killing three children and three adults, a narrative has emerged that trans-identifying people cannot be blamed for losing control and targeting small children at Christian schools.

Instead, the media blames society and claims that America is systemically cruel to trans-identifying people. Those who disagree with the thought leaders in the media are blamed for causing pain in the world. According to a recent study, transgender and gender-diverse youth is the group at the highest risk for support of violent radicalization.

It is dangerous to promote the idea that mentally ill people ought to be celebrated as political groundbreakers for their symptoms while also telling them that their suicidal ideations are caused by the intolerance of a broader society. Such an approach creates an incredibly dangerous ideological predicate for violent action.

The media’s new narrative must be maintained, portraying the shooter as a victim of society. We must recognize the danger of teaching trans-identifying people that their suffering is caused by a cruelly religious and patriarchal world and instead provide them with appropriate mental health care and support. Ultimately, we must acknowledge that men cannot be women and vice versa, and that high rates of depression and suicidal ideation among those who identify as transgender are typically caused by the disorder itself, not societal intolerance.