Sexual identity

I am listening to Gov. Cox of Utah, a Republican, on ‘Meet The Press’ right now. He is saying that the Charlie Kirk shooter was living with a ‘transitioning boyfriend’ and that he had been ‘radicalized’ online.

So…

Let me say…. There are other people in this country transitioning, not thousands and thousands, but enough to draw attention to a group of conservatives who do not approve of changes in gender identity. They have made it a political issue. These are people who may not have studied mis-identity at birth, and physical and mental dis-orientation, and do not know anyone transitioning personally. But they have made it a big issue and they like to say it aligns with being a Christian. (I differ with that opinion.)

There are other people living with those transitioning or who have changed their sexual identity, and they are not ‘radicalized’ or dangerous.

The shooter (I prefer not to use his name) obviously had gone over the edge. He planned and used a rifle to take out Charlie Kirk in a public forum. Unthinkable. Totally wrong. He did a horrible, horrible thing and will suffer the consequences.

But, was he ‘radicalized’? Maybe. Or – Maybe he had his beliefs his whole life. We don’t know. Yes, he was raised in a conservative home, by a Mormon family, in Utah no less! And, his father is a law officer. But we cannot guess about what the shooter thought about for years as a young man in America.

What does that mean to be radicalized? I googled the word ‘radicalize’ and it says to make a social or political change. It is often an extreme change. To be influenced so much to change normal thinking and behavior. But did the shooter all of a sudden feel strongly opposed to Mr. Kirk? Again, we do not know. He may have believed what he did all his life. He may have been internally holding in a lot of his beliefs due to his upbringing. WE DO NOT KNOW.

I really felt the Governor of Utah should not have said what he said – he should not have brought up anything about who the shooter lived with, in terms of sexuality. It does not matter. In fact, the roommate was shocked and was helpful in getting info for catching him.

Shooters have many reasons in their minds for doing what they do. It’s always wrong to ACT on violent thoughts. This one should have gotten help before it got to the point of killing. We as a country are lacking on free mental health for everyone. Mental health can be tough to diagnosis because it is often hidden. It is REALLY hard to see ahead of time when someone is going off the rails. (I believe that is why gun safety measurements are so very important.).

Mentally ill people are sometimes loners, or disappointed in their lives, or have dreams of grandeur, or they want to make a statement. They come from all kinds of backgrounds. They have different sexual beliefs too.

But remember: Healthy people can be alone, at times are disappointed, and have dreams, come from different backgrounds, and also have different sexual beliefs.

All of our words matter. The governor of Utah misspoke and his words might be very damaging. We need to do better.