A false narrative spread on social media after a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, where people tried to link the shooter to being transgender despite no evidence. Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and conservative websites like Townhall perpetuated the false claims, leading to millions of views on their posts. Police eventually identified the shooter as a 15-year-old girl with no evidence of being transgender. The speculation regarding the shooter’s gender was debunked, but LGBTQ advocates expressed concerns about the irrational fear spread in their community. Experts emphasize that there is no evidence supporting the idea that transgender people are more prone to criminal behavior. The speculation about the shooter being transgender was seen as a distraction from addressing gun violence. The trend of falsely connecting mass shooters to the transgender community is not based in fact and can be harmful. The speculation occurred on various social media platforms, with minimal content moderation on some of them. Overall, the speculation about the shooter’s gender identity following the Madison shooting was debunked and seen as a distraction from addressing the real issue of gun violence.
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The online spread of false claims that the Madison school shooter was transgender
