EDIT: A previous version of the article incorrectly referred to the shooter as a female.
A national tragedy played out this week at a Nashville school.
A sense of “resentment” might have played a role in a 28-year-old’s deadly attack on the private Christian school they once attended, Nashville police said Monday.
The shooter, Nashville resident Audrey Hale, had no previous criminal record before opening fire at The Covenant School, killing three children and three adults, authorities said.
NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nashville-christian-school-shooter-appears-former-student-police-chief-rcna76876
As the nation attempts to heal on the heels of yet another mass shooting perpetuated by the right wing and the NRA, we are faced with another issue that might be even more startling.
Multiple news agencies and even officials on the ground have constantly misgendered the shooter who identified as a male.
While the shooter, Aiden Hale (deadname was Audrey), was certainly in the wrong and committed a disgusting act of violence, it is more harmful than helpful to deliberately disregard Hale’s feelings.
Hale was facing numerous emotional and mental issues that were exacerbated, possibly, by the prevalence of transphobia in the United States. This does not excuse his behavior but we have to ask ourselves if we are encouraging more of these shootings by not respecting people’s pronouns.
As we all come together in this moment of tragedy and blame guns, we also need to make sure we are being respectful of Hale who is also dead.
Two wrongs do not make a right.
