There have been several discussions and speculations surrounding the tragic shooting that took place at the Lakewood Church in Houston. Part of the speculation is that the shooting was targeted at transgender people.
The incident occurred during a Sunday service at popular pastor Joel Osteen’s church, leaving two people injured. That Sunday afternoon, 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno entered the Houston megachurch with her 7-year-old son and an AR-15 rifle. She began firing shots, prompting off-duty officers present at the church to return fire.
In the exchange, her son and a 57-year-old man sustained injuries, while Genesse herself was fatally shot. Rumors began circulating on social media platforms suggesting that the shooting specifically targeted transgender who were in attendance. They claimed that the shooting was part of a larger pattern of violence involving transgender people.
The right-wing influencers seized the incident as an opportunity to push a narrative. Among these influencers, platforms such as Libs of TikTok and End Wokeness claimed that the shooter was transgender. Influential conservatives like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, billionaire Elon Musk, etc, embraced the narrative.
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Some of them voiced their opinions via replies and tweets. Fox News initially aired a story, which was later amended, claiming that Moreno had lived “as a man.” Donald Trump’s son, Donald Jr., also fueled the narrative by retweeting a post from Libs of TikTok.
“Per capita, violent trans extremists have to have become the most violent group of people anywhere in the world. The amount of shootings they have completed or attempted likely pales in comparison to any other radical group based on how small a group they are.” The retweet reached his large audience of 10 million followers.
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But these claims are wrong and unfounded. Neither of the claims about Moreno being transgender nor who commits mass shootings in the U.S. However, spreading these falsehoods puts transgender people in danger by making others believe they’re dangerous. It’s best to correct misinformation to keep everyone safe and treated fairly.
The Houston Police and independent experts confirmed that no evidence suggests Moreno identified as anything other than a woman. Despite Moreno’s history of using both male and female aliases, authorities consistently identified her as female. “She has been identified this entire time as female: she/her,” the Houston police spokesman said at a press conference.
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On the propaganda of transgender shootings, experts on mass shootings agreed that there was no recent increase in violence from the transgender community. The alleged epidemic described by Donald Trump Jr. isn’t supported by evidence.
Despite this, Trump Jr., Taylor-Greene, Cruz, Rubio, and Musk have not retracted their claims or responded to requests for comment. However, the user behind Libs of TikTok admitted to USA TODAY that she lacked evidence regarding the shooter’s gender.
“It’s just a false narrative that’s not based in reality at all,” said Laura Dugan, a professor of human security and sociology at Ohio State University. “They say these narratives because they have traction because they’re appealing to some people because people want to believe it.”
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