The suspect who killed five people and injured 19 others in a mass shooting at the LGBT Club Q nightclub is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, his attorneys say.
In a court filing obtained by the New York Times, the suspected shooter’s public defenders refer to him as “Mx. Anderson Aldrich.” They, in turn, ask the judge to refer to him by they/them pronouns throughout court proceedings.
In new court filing, public defenders for the suspect in the mass shooting at a Colorado gay club that left 5 people dead say that their client is non-binary and that “they use they/them pronouns.” The lawyers refer to their client as Mx. Anderson Aldrich. pic.twitter.com/dPaUpiFXKN
— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs (@NickAtNews) November 23, 2022
“Anderson Aldrich is non-binary,” the court document reads. “They use they/them pronouns, and for the purpose of all formal filings, will be addressed as Mx. Aldrich.”
POLICE REVEAL NAMES OF FIVE KILLED IN CLUB Q NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING
The suspect is demanding the constitutional right to a bond, due process, and a preliminary hearing, the lawyers add.
The revelation that Aldrich is a member of the LGBT community casts doubt on the previous hypothesis that the shooting was an anti-LGBT hate crime instigated by right-wing political commentators, as several prominent left-wing figures have claimed since the shooting on Saturday.
“‘This is the point.’ I spoke about how club Q was not just the inevitable result of hateful anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda from Chaya Raichik/Libs of TikTok, Matt Walsh, Tucker Carlson. It was the point of the propaganda,” transgender activist and researcher Erin Reed said, commenting on an article from Vice in which she was featured.
“This is the point.”
I spoke about how club Q was not just the inevitable result of hateful anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda from Chaya Raichik/Libs of TikTok, Matt Walsh, Tucker Carlson.
It was the point of the propaganda.https://t.co/977ovtvZhD
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) November 21, 2022
“It starts from some smaller accounts online like Libs of TikTok, it moves to the right-wing blogosphere, and then it ends up on Tucker Carlson,” NBC News senior reporter Brandy Zadrozny said, referring to several right-wing commentators when asked about what led to the shooting.
“Did Republicans not hate gay people enough for you? Try to get them to hate a little harder. Who knows, maybe if you’re lucky enough, it might cause a couple of more shootings,” Cenk Uygur, the progressive host of The Young Turks, said, referring to the shooting, in response to right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) directly blamed the Republican Party for the shooting in a tweet.
After Trump elevated anti-immigrant & anti-Latino rhetoric, we had the deadliest anti-Latino shooting in modern history.
After anti-Asian hate w/COVID, Atlanta.
Tree of life. Emanuel AME. Buffalo.
And now after an anti-LGBT+ campaign, Colorado Springs.
Connect the dots, @GOP.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 20, 2022
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The victims of the tragedy were identified as Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh, and Raymond Green Vance. Former Army Maj. Richard Fierro stopped the shooting when he tackled the shooter, saving numerous lives in the process.
The true motivation for the shooting is being investigated. The suspect has been charged with first-degree murder and other bias-related crimes.
