Three survivors of a Nov. 19 massacre in Colorado and the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform told a hearing Wednesday that hateful anti-LGBT speech by Republicans and far-right groups caused the tragedy.
Neither the survivors nor Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) explained how or why comments by Republicans and far-right groups caused Anderson Lee Aldrich, a 22-year-old who identifies as transgender, to go on the murderous rampage.
“Anderson Aldrich is non-binary. They use they/them pronouns, and for the purpose of all formal fillings, will be addressed as Mx. Aldrich,” the defendant’s attorneys explained in court documents (pdf). Transgendered people use “Mx.” instead of Mr., Mrs., or Ms.
The Epoch Times contacted Maloney for comment but did not receive a response.Maloney opened the hearing by suggesting that legislation backed by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and by multiple Republicans in the House of Representatives contributed to hatred against the group.
“This ‘don’t say gay, or trans’ law erases the existence of LGBTQI+ people and families,” Maloney said, adding that “dozens of House Republicans have co-sponsored federal legislation to prohibit federal funding for schools with curricula that affirms LGBTQI+ people.”
