Colorado Springs shooting suspect is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, lawyers say
Club Q, Colorado Springs (Getty Images)
The suspect in a horrific mass shooting at LGBTQ+ venue Club Q in Colorado Springs is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, according to court documents.
A new court filing in the case was obtained by the New York Times, in which lawyers refer to the suspect in the shooting – 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich – as “Mx” and using they/them pronouns.
A footnote to the document reads: “Anderson Aldrich is non-binary. They use they/them pronouns, and for the purposes of all formal filings, will be addressed as Mx. Aldrich.”
Aldrich is reportedly expected to make their first court appearance in the next few days, after being held in hospital, and faces murder and hate crime charges.
Five people were killed and at least 25 injured after Aldrich opened fire in LGBTQ+ venue Club Q on Saturday (19 November).
The Colorado Springs shooting was stopped after a brave patron grabbed Aldrich’s gun and hit them with it, before they and another patron pinned the shooter down until police arrived.
The victims were named as Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Raymond Green Vance.
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
LGBTQ+ activists have claimed there is a “straight line” between hateful rhetoric against the queer community and this horrific attack, which took place just minutes before this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“You can draw a straight line from the false and vile rhetoric about LGBTQ people spread by extremists and amplified across social media, to the nearly 300 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year, to the dozens of attacks on our community like this one,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD.
“That this mass shooting took place on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, when we honour the memory of the trans people killed the year prior, deepens the trauma and tragedy for all in the LGBTQ community.”
The trans community has faced an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in America just this year, with some states banning gender affirming care for minors, and others attempting to stop trans children from playing sports.
“What queer people need now as they mourn those lost in the Colorado Springs shooting is for politicians to step up,” Shelby Chestnut, director of policy and programs at the Transgender Law Center, said.
“To end violence against trans and queer people, we need more humane policies that send the message that our community is inherently valuable.
“Our LGBTQ+ community is a gift to our society.”
