Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Colorado Springs nightclub shooting" in English language version.
Colorado has been the site of some of the most heinous mass shootings in US history, including the 1999 shooting in Columbine High School and the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora. Colorado Springs was the site of mass shootings at a Planned Parenthood in November 2015 that left three dead and at a birthday party last year that left six dead.
This last year has seen Republican politicians and right-wing media influencers across the country stir up a moral panic about the LGBTQ community being 'groomers' — a term for manipulating children to make them vulnerable to sexual abuse. A wave of anti-LGBTQ laws, like Florida's 'Don't say gay' bill, has swept the nation. This type of rhetoric and legislation has inspired far-right groups to confront and harass queer people in America at an accelerating rate that experts fear could soon mean more violence.
The best course of action is to take the suspect's assertion 'in stride' and use they/them pronouns for Aldrich, while at the same time keeping in mind the suspect's alleged crimes, past and the impact that this kind of troll could have on the LGBTQ community, according to Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
