Anderson Lee Aldrich, the suspect in the Colorado LGBT club shooting, defines himself as a non-binary person. His defense attorney disclosed in the following court document the gender with which his client identifies: "Anderson Aldrich is non-binary. They use they/them pronouns, and for the purposes of all formal filings, will be addressed as Mx. Aldrich."
Documento judicial sobre Colorado Springs by VozMedia on Scribd
The document, advanced by New York Times reporter Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, explains how the jury should appeal to Aldrich. He is due to testify Wednesday from the El Paso County Jail, as reported in the Denver Post.
The 22-year-old defendant faces multiple murder and hate crime charges stemming from the Nov. 20 shooting at Club Q, an LGBT nightclub in Colorado Springs. During the attack, the alleged assailant shot and killed five people and wounded 18 others until the so-called "hero of Colorado Springs" stopped the massacre.
Politicization of the slaughter
The letter came to light a few days after several public figures tried to attribute a political motivation for committing the attack. Some went so far as to blame the Republicans for the event. NBC reporter Ben Collins, for example, was one of them. During his appearance on Morning Joe, the reporter claimed that "Republican politicians and the internet’s far-right machine" incited the attack.
On the other hand, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the wave of Democrats criticizing Republicans for what happened at the Q Club. In her case, she responded to the condolences of GOP Rep. Laura Boebert lambasting her for, in her opinion, "elevating anti-LGBT+ hate rhetoric."
.@laurenboebert you have played a major role in elevating anti-LGBT+ hate rhetoric and anti-trans lies while spending your time in Congress blocking even the most common sense gun safety laws.
You don't get to "thoughts and prayers" your way out of this. Look inward and change. https://t.co/mxt6wFMVEv
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 20, 2022
This political climate of unfounded attacks was also addressed by the senior director of communications for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Tony Morrison. He informed CBS that nearly half of the LGBT community have fears for their own safety and repeated the slogan of insulting the right-wing media:
As we wait for evidence and information to emerge, what we do know is that this violent and unspeakable crime, which clearly targeted LGBTQ people, illustrates two facts: One, the epidemic of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, especially anti-transgender rhetoric, is infecting every part of America, created by politicians in their crass drive for power, parroted by right-wing media outlets, and amplified by social media platforms who prioritize profits over public safety. And two: assault weapons continue to senselessly end American lives and we need common-sense gun safety reform now.
For the time being, no one has commented on the profile of the alleged attacker of the Q club and his identification as a non-binary person.
