Although three nine-year-olds were gunned down by a transgender gunman at a private Christian school in Nashville, activists are still rallying the troops to protest for a “Trans Day of Vengeance” just days after the mass shooting shocked the nation.
Transgender shooter Audrey Hale opened fire at the Covenant School in Nashville at 10:30 a.m. Monday, killing Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney and Evelyn Dieckhaus during her school shooting.
But despite rising political tensions across the country, with a press secretary for Arizona’s Democratic governor tweeting about the shooting of transphobes, the Trans Radical Activist Network (TRAN) is moving ahead with its protest in DC on Saturday.
The protest was originally going to be dubbed “Visibility Day” but was renamed Revenge ahead of the shooting because it means “strike back with vehemence” – although the group was quick to say they do not “encourage or encourage” violence when it is by is contacted .
But one activist seems to have taken the movement to the next level by posting a picture of a heavily armed person with an assault rifle and threatening to “kill Christcucks” – as Twitter removed thousands of posts featuring flyers for the event.
An activist using the hashtag on a since-banned account posed with an assault rifle and threatened to “kill Christcucks” – as Twitter removed thousands of posts featuring flyers for the event
Twitter removed the posts that could be viewed as threatening or involving weapons associated with the “TransDayofVengeance” hashtag – but it’s unclear how many others posed with guns, as they have since been deleted.
Ella Irwin, head of trust and safety at Twitter, wrote that the company removed more than 5,000 tweets that contained a poster for the event.
She said: “We do not support tweets inciting violence, regardless of who posts them.
“Revenge” does not imply peaceful protest. Organizing or supporting peaceful protests is fine.”
Two other trans activists have since posted footage and photos of themselves with guns in what appear to be a direct response to the Nashville shooting.
One says she will use the weapon for “protection” against “transphobes” who attack her.
Kayla Denker, who describes herself as a “communist archaeologist and writer,” posted the video of herself with her gun after the Nashville incident — though she said, “Advocating for trans people to arm themselves is not a solution for the genocide we have look at’.
She’s also asking for help with the medical bills for her transition on her social media, which has now been blocked.
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Green also saw her account removed after launching multiple anti-trans attacks on Twitter.
Greene claimed that “Antifa” organized the alleged event and re-posted a poster for the protest, while complaining that Twitter kept removing her posts before eventually being suspended.
Two other trans activists have since posted footage and photos of themselves with guns in what appear to be a direct response to the Nashville shooting
Twitter removed the posts that could be viewed as threatening or involving weapons associated with the “TransDayofVengeance” hashtag – but it’s unclear how many others posed with guns, as they have since been deleted
The group, founded by Noah Buchanan (left), Tsukuru Fors (right) and Bo Belotti (centre), was quick to say they do not “encourage or promote” violence when contacted by
Audrey Hale’s LinkedIn profile suggested they were now living as a man and went by the name Aiden when she shot and killed six people at a Nashville Christian private school
Activists are being encouraged to “bring a buddy” and wear a mask at the April 1 event before the DC Supreme Court in DC, and are being charged with revenge for a “trans genocide.”
Organizers did not respond to questions about protest safety amid mounting pressure between the two sides of the political spectrum.
Sites like Etsy are still used to sell pro-gun and trans merchandise, with stickers that say “Defend Equality” with assault rifles, as well as t-shirts and other items that say “Trans Rights…Or Else”, who also do the powerful guns in pink, white and blue – the trans colors – on it.
TRAN is led by three co-founders, one of whom is a former Virginia Democrat employee who has resigned to work with the group.
Bo Belotti, the national recruiting director, is a “trans male, non-binary person” and helped the group’s Virginia chapter raise money for guns and self-defense.
On March 7, the Virginia chapter in Richmond hosted a “dance party fundraiser” benefiting firearms/self-defense training for trans-Virginians. Come with us and defend trans life!’
Belotti worked as a fellow for Del. Elizabeth Guzman and Del. Joshua Cole served as legislative advisor and helped draft HB 145, which called for the state to create model transgender policies for public schools.
Bo Belotti, the national recruiting director, is a “trans male, non-binary person” and helped the group’s Virginia chapter raise money for guns and self-defense
Nonbinary Tsukuru (left) who posted updates on the protest before having her account suspended following the backlash following the mass shooting. Noah Buchanan (right) told that the group does not promote or encourage violence in any way
Sites like Etsy are still used to sell guns and trans goods, with stickers that say “Defend Equality” featuring assault rifles, as well as T-shirts and other items that say “Trans Rights…Or Else.”
His bio on the site adds, “While they worked in their state legislatures, they helped draft trans-affirming statewide policies.”
Another co-founder is non-binary Tsukuru, who had posted updates on the protest before suspending his account following the backlash following the mass shooting.
Their biography states that they “graduated from a high school in Hiroshima, where on August 6, 1945, 350 young people died. Tsukuru is an anti-nuclear/anti-war/human rights activist”.
It adds: “Following his brief marriage to his best friend and the birth of his child, he first came out as a lesbian at the age of 29 and as a transgender man at the age of 50.”
The final founder is Noah Buchanan, who helped start Tran initially by writing on the website: “Noah Buchanan; I am a male transgender and have been traveling since 2018. I have been working in the mental health field for more than 10 years.
“What motivated me to start TRAN was the fact that I was bullied to the point that I tried to end my own life. The person who bullied me was an LGBTIA+ member.”
Others have available flags and stickers that read “Defend Equality” on the colors of the trans flag
The Trans Resistance Network, whose founders are currently unknown, said they felt the need to speak out as a “collective” and appeared to encourage the use of firearms
Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed the decision to continue the demonstration on Twitter
In a statement to , Buchanan said: “What I will say is that this protest was not about encouraging or promoting violence.
“This protest is about uniting and letting people know that we are human, that we exist and that love conquers hate.”
The group distanced itself from Hale and released a statement on its website ahead of the event, which said, “We are appalled by the acts of violence that took place at Covenant School on March 27, 2023.
“We mourn the loss of Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce and Mike Hill and their loved ones.
“We also deny any connection between this horrific event and Outs.
“Revenge means fighting back with vehemence. We fight against false narratives, criminalization and annihilation of our existence.”
In the wake of the shooting, Tennessee’s LGBTQ community has begun to ramp up their post-shooting security, with one activist saying they are afraid of “more blood will be spilled and it won’t be in a school” because of the response. the incident.
Trans activist Alejandra Caraballo also faced backlash after multiple tweets regarding the shooting.
She had previously been invited to Congress by the Democratic Party to speak about social media safety and was slammed for her recent comments threatening judges
Trans activist Alejandra Caraballo also faced backlash after multiple tweets regarding the shooting
Hale was born a female but had recently started using he/him pronouns and the name “Aiden,” according to friends and police
Hallie Scruggs, 9, was killed in the shooting and is pictured with her father, a church pastor, Chad Scruggs
Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9, was one of the victims shot dead by transgender gunman Audrey Hale, 28, after she opened fire on the Christian private school on Monday
She quoted a tweet regarding the shooting, saying, “Thank God Tennessee protected the kids from the so-called horrors of drag and gender-affirming grooming so they can be shot by an AR-15 at school instead.”
It comes after a radical transgender group – separate from TRAN – claims Hale was pushed into killing three children and three adults by an “avalanche” of anti-trans politics and sentiment, adding: “Hate has consequences”.
The Trans Resistance Network, whose founders are currently unknown, said they felt the need to speak out as a “collective”.
In a statement, they said: “We caution that today’s incident in Nashville is not one tragedy, but two. The first tragedy today is the loss of three children and adults.
“The second and more complex tragedy is that of Aiden or Aubrey Hale, who felt they had no other effective way to be seen than to lash out, to take the lives of others and thus themselves. ‘
The group said “anti-trans hatred” must be factored into Hale’s actions — although they noted, “We don’t claim to know the person or have access to their inner thoughts or feelings.”
It’s also sparked a backlash online, with many calling out to the group for their views – which have now been locked behind a private social media account.
Katherine Koonce, principal (left), and Cynthia Peak, a substitute teacher (right), were among those shot by Audrey Hale
The daughter of Mike Hill (pictured), who worked at the school for more than a decade, said she “never thought” he would be killed in a mass shooting