A group of transgender activists canceled their planned ‘Trans Day of Revenge’ after warnings of a ‘credible threat to life and safety’.
The demonstration was scheduled for Saturday in Washington DC, but organizers from the Trans Radical Activists Network (TRAN) said Thursday that threats on social media led them to make the decision to cancel the event.
The demonstration would have been held in front of the Supreme Court, but “astronomical amounts of hate from the world” forced them to cancel, TRAN said.
The event comes days after Nashville transgender shooter Audrey Hale killed six people, including three children, at her former Christian school. The event was planned weeks before the shooting, and the group said it had nothing to do with the “heinous act.”
The event initially caused outrage on social media, as Twitter removed thousands of tweets promoting and criticizing the event, saying that “revenge does not mean peaceful protest.”
The organizers of the Trans Radical Activist Network (TRAN) said Thursday that threats on social networks have led them to make the decision to cancel the event.
School shooter Audrey Hale was shot by police after killing three children and three staff members in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. The reason is unknown, although police are investigating the alleged feeling of ‘resentment’ associated with having to go to the private Christian school.
People pay their respects at a makeshift memorial for victims at the Covenant School building at Covenant Presbyterian Church following a shooting, Nashville, March 28, 2023
In a statement canceling the event, TRAN announced: ‘The safety of our trans community is the first priority. This threat is a direct result of the outpouring of pure hate directed at the trans community after the shooting in Tennessee.
‘Individuals who had nothing to do with this heinous act have been subjected to very serious threats and blamed solely for their gender identity.
‘This is one of the steps of genocide, and we will continue our efforts to protect the lives of trans people. While we wholeheartedly believe in the mission and message we present for Trans Vengeance Day, we must prioritize the safety of our community and the people in it. In an ideal world we would have continued to defy attempts to silence our right to free expression.
The group said they lack the resources to ensure the safety of those taking part in the protests and that they “in good conscience” would not proceed with the event. They said they have notified the relevant agencies of the cancellation.
The initial announcement of the event sparked outrage online. Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene said the planned rally represented the “threat of Antifa-driven transterrorism.”
He later demanded that his Twitter account be restored after features were limited for violating the rules.
She saying: ‘My congressional account was suspended for 7 days for exposing Antifa, which is organizing a call for violence called ‘Trans Day of Revenge’.
‘The day after the mass murder of children by a trans shooter. Restore my account immediately.’
Ian Miles Cheong wrote that “Twitter is now cracking down on those promoting the ‘Trans Day of Vengeance’ poster, which is mostly made up of trans militants calling for a day of mass violence.”
Twitter’s director of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, answered: ‘Correct. We had to automatically sweep our platform and remove >5000 tweets/retweets from this poster.
“We do not support tweets that incite violence, regardless of who posts them.
‘Revenge’ does not imply peaceful protest. Organizing or supporting peaceful protests is fine.’
TRAN previously stated on its website: ‘This protest is about unity, not inciting violence. TRAN does not encourage violence and is not welcome at this event.’
It is not clear if Hale was associated with the movement.
Audrey Elizabeth Hale opened fire at The Covenant School, shooting and killing six people on Monday.
The shooter was armed with two assault rifles and a pistol.
They killed three children, the School Director, 60, a custodian and a substitute teacher, both 61.
The victims Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney were nine years old.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers Rex Englebert and Michael Collazo shot and killed Hale on the second floor of the school.
Police are investigating possible motives for the attack.
MNPD Police Chief John Drake said “resentment” at having to go to school may have played a role in the shooting, but also that Hale “targeted random students at the school … bullets fired.”
Drake added that officials believe “that [Hale] he identifies as trans, but we’re still in the initial investigation into all of that and whether he actually played a role in this incident.
Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the decision to go ahead with the demonstration on Twitter.
Twitter’s head of Trust and Safety confirmed that the site had removed the promotion of the protests.
Victims Evelyn Dieckhaus (L) and William Kinney (R) were shot dead, both aged nine.
Hallie Scruggs (photo left, right) and Mike Hill (right) were shot and killed by Hale in the attack.
Cynthia Peak (photo left, right) and school principal Katherine Koonce (right) were killed in the shooting.
The protest, now cancelled, was initially going to be called Trans Visibility Day, but was renamed “revenge means fighting hard,” the group said. saying.
“It is our battle cry to declare to the world that we, the transgender/non-binary communities, will not be silenced or eradicated,” TRAN previously said.
Distancing themselves from Hale, the group posted a statement on their website while the event was still scheduled to take place: “We Tsukuru [co-founder]Our Rights DC and TRAN are appalled by the violence committed at the Covenant School on March 27, 2023.
“We grieve for Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, and Mike Hill, and with their loved ones.
‘We also reject any connection between that horrible event and the departures.
Vengeance means fighting back vehemently. We are fighting false narratives, criminalization and the eradication of our existence.’
TRAN also said that due to the ‘hate received’ they had disabled their contact form.