"We're Not Allowed To Have This Discussion..."

Many (many!) moons ago, an acquaintance and I were walking down a sidewalk in Manhattan one evening, discussing whatever. I don't remember most of the circumstances (probably walking to meet some other friends for dinner or whatever, but can't say for sure) nor most of the topics, but one "moment" stuck with me.

We were discussing the AIDS epidemic (this was when HIV was a death sentence, not just a "take this pill forever" regimen) and how some continued to engage in reckless behavior (see: not using condoms) despite the obvious risks. We both lamented this tragic reality, and then he (who resides solidly on the Left of the political spectrum) observed that "we're not allowed to have this discussion."

Fast forward to the shooting at the Nashville Christian school, and the (now deceased) shooter, Audrey Hale. Hale, born female but identifying, per social media, as male "Aiden" and using he/him pronouns, has the usual suspects contorting in the usual ways because of the transgender bit.

Since everyone and everything needs to be crammed into categories, and since every such cramming must be performed with political narrative considerations, we continue to hear about "Audrey" rather than "Aiden." Some activist groups have barked at the legacy media for "deadnaming" Hale, and as I write this some of the usual suspects have issued apologies for misgendering, and some others are attempting to cast Hale as a victim of societal prejudice (with either barely veiled or overt snipes at Christianity).

What isn't being discussed, except by the "untouchables" that are always dismissed (with prejudice) by the Woke, is the possibility that the "gender affirmation" industry may have some complicity in this tragic event. There are reports that Hale was in "a doctor’s care for an emotional disorder," and some buzz that Hale may have been a high functioning autistic. Given that that the aforementioned industry launches many people into transitioning regimes for political reasons rather than for the individuals' best interests, it's safe to wonder whether Hale's mental issues were mis- or under-diagnosed, whether the internal anger that must have been at the heart of these murders was stoked by being fed the wrong message by the people at the heart of the gender contagion currently running through our society.

All this should be at the fore of discussion regarding this incident and what might be done to reduce the probability of similar ones, but the activists have already taken steps to pre-empt this path of inquiry, and the cowards in the media that ask "how high" when those activists say "jump" aren't going to step up.

The rest of us can, but we'll be called names even as our questions get ignored.

Another line of inquiry that'll be ignored is whether "the system" failed in preventing Hale from purchasing firearms. As National Review reported, there was ample evidence available to declare Hale "legally mentally defective and barred from owning firearms." All it would have taken is a call by someone who "saw something, said something" to start that ball rolling. Tennessee doesn't have a red flag law, and I'm sure you'll hear demands for one in the wake of this, but the system already existed to disarm Hale.

The government is woefully lax in using its existing tools to keep the mentally ill (and others who shouldn't be allowed to buy firearms due to past transgressions) from buying guns. Instead, we get demands for more restrictions and more rights-infringing laws. Just as the government notoriously demands more in taxes rather than more efficiently using what they already collect, its default response to its own failures in implementing existing rules is to demand more rules.

The societal pressure not to doubt any transgender individual's declaration should be on the discussion table as well. If Hale's warning signs were noted, but no action was taken out of fear of being dubbed "transphobic," we absolutely need to challenge the speech-stifling culture surrounding the transgender debate.

As I've noted on these pages more times than I can count, it is of no matter to me what an adult chooses to do, and that includes gender transitioning. As a libertarian, it's always about the individual to me, not the identity group, and everyone I meet receives a baseline level of courtesy, to be adjusted as I get to know that person. This is at odds with the "tilt the scales" gender affirmation crowd, who do not treat people as individuals, and see every transition as a victory, whether it's "legit" or coaxed.

I'm not asserting that societal pressures regarding transitioning were at play in this shooting. My point here is whether we can have a reasoned discussion about this (as well as about other possible factors) without activists shouting it down or quashing it via accusations of bigotry. If we cannot, it's that much harder to come to a reasoned and supportable conclusion as to causes, effects, motivations, or remedies.

What we are witnessing is libertarianism turned on its head. Today, the individual does not matter. Who you are takes a distant back seat to what you are. Hale’s transgenderism, not her (his?) motive, is what matters to the Left and the legacy media, and all reporting, messaging, and concluding is centered on protecting the transgender identity group.