The attorney for Anderson Lee Aldrich, the 22-year-old accused of the deadly shooting at the gay nightclub Club Q, is claiming Aldrich is nonbinary and uses the pronouns "they/them," the Western Journal reported. This turns on its head the notion that the shooting was an anti-LGBT hate crime.
Five people were killed and 17 wounded when Aldrich allegedly opened fire at the Denver, Colorado establishment Saturday. The shooter was tackled and subdued by two patrons until police arrived.
However, before the bodies were even cold, the leftist media pounced on the story as proof that opposition to perversion led to this act of violence. New York Times ran an article linking the two entitled "Drag events across the country have often faced threats in recent years."
After Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) publicly offered her condolences, the Denver Post ripped into her. "Editorial: We're looking at you, Lauren Boebert. Stop the intolerance," an op-ed stated.
However, that narrative is difficult to prop up, considering Aldrich's stated gender status. Undeterred, the left has switched instead to suddenly disbelieving this particular individual's gender identity, which undermines the previous treatment of such issues.
The most telling example came from CNN's Alisyn Camerota. During Tuesday's broadcast, Camerota explained the new information contained in legal filings for Aldrich and seemed incredulous about this self-reported identity.
"So, attorneys for the accused shooter, Anderson Lee Aldrich, say in new court filings tonight that the suspect now identifies as non-binary," Camerota stated in the clip shared on Twitter. "I don't know what to say about that, I mean, that's not anything that we had heard from his background, you know, people have been looking into his background," she added.
"I don't know what to say about that, I mean, that's what he's now saying," Camerota reiterated, appearing to carefully choose her words. The implication is that suspect faces hate crimes charges that could be negated if he identifies with the group targeted.
"It sounds like they're trying to prepare a defense against a hate crimes charge," Errol Lewis, CNN political analyst, added to the discussion. "That's the least of his problems, legally speaking, but it looks like they're trying to build some kind of sympathy or at least confusion on the question of whether or not this was purely motivated by hate," Lewis claimed.
This skepticism is a break from the usual protocol when an individual takes on one of these identities. One man was transferred to a women's prison based solely on his say-so and proceeded to impregnate two of female inmates, the New York Post reported.
Demi Minor, who was born Demetrius, had been transferred to New Jersey's Edna Mahan correctional facility. He was one of 27 such inmates, considered "pre-op" transgenders, who were intact biological males allowed to be housed with females.
In these cases, people are taken on their word, whereas Aldrich's defense must not be believed. This case may not shatter the notion that one can choose a gender -- but it's a start.
