“[I]t’s called a women’s act, but then they have men dressed up as women, they count that. Change-gender, or whatever. How is that — how is that a woman?”
— Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) airs his complaints about the expansion of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to included protections for transgender people. (Think Progress)
The FBI has arrested a Texas man for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a local Pride event.
Joshua Cole, of Anson, Texas, allegedly posted a Facebook comment earlier this month criticizing the Abilene Pride Alliance for banning weapons and certain bags at its annual indoor festival, held September 20 at the Abilene Convention Center on the same day as the group's Pride parade.
The original poster argued the group could not legally stop people from carrying guns into a city-owned building and shared a screenshot of the event flyer listing the venue and restrictions.
Reports that the person who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk had left behind bullet casings engraved with phrases espousing "transgender ideology" have been debunked.
The rumor spread quickly after conservative commentator Steven Crowder posted to X on the morning of September 11 -- the day after the shooting -- claiming he had received an email from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives officer describing such engravings.
Crowder shared what he said was an email from an ATF officer claiming investigators had recovered the weapon used in Kirk's killing, with one spent cartridge in the chamber and three rounds still in the magazine. The email further alleged the cartridges were engraved with "transgender and anti-fascist ideology."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced plans to launch undercover investigations targeting left-wing and transgender groups.
Paxton denounced the yet-to-be-named targets of his investigation, claiming they pose a threat to public safety as potential perpetrators of "leftist political violence." He accused anti-fascist and transgender advocacy groups of orchestrating violent attacks nationwide, citing a handful of incidents involving transgender suspects and the September shooting of Kirk, whom he described as a "martyr."
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