Just 38 minutes after a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, false claims began to spread on social media, specifically targeting the shooter’s gender identity as transgender. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and other conservative accounts speculated about the shooter’s gender, despite no evidence suggesting they were transgender. Police later confirmed the shooter was a 15-year-old girl. The spread of these false claims is seen as a distraction from the actual motives behind the shooting, with experts pointing out that there is no evidence linking transgender individuals to criminal tendencies. Gender speculation regarding mass shooting suspects is a recurring trend on social media platforms, with little regard for the truth or its impact on the LGBTQ community. The trend is meant to divert attention from discussions about gun violence reduction. The social media speculation around the Wisconsin shooter was largely seen on the platform X, where minimal content moderation allows for misinformation to spread easily. Elon Musk, the owner of X, has expressed anti-trans views. Overall, the incident highlights how false speculation can overshadow actual facts and motives behind tragic events like mass shootings.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com
The Rapid Spread of False Claims Regarding the Madison School Shooter’s Gender Identity on the Internet
