TOKEN LEFTY: Being transgender is not a crime — don’t turn the Tumbler Ridge tragedy into a culture war

Focusing on whether suspected Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar may have been transgender does nothing to solve this heinous crime. It only pulls attention away from where it belongs right now: the victims.The vast majority of transgender people will never commit a violent crime.For those of us who worry about government overreach (and my fellow Lefties are going to hate that I’m saying this out loud), it is a terrible idea for conservatives to argue that it means nothing that dozens of mass shooters had easy access to guns, yet somehow it is significant that three mass shooters have been transgender.Once you start accepting dicey correlations, you legitimize government intrusion..OLDCORN: Another transgender mass shooter, and no, gun laws aren’t the problem.Being Transgender Isn’t a Crime Nor an IllnessSome transgender people commit crimes. Some transgender people experience mental illness. That does not prove that being transgender causes either.School shooters are more likely to be boys who play violent video games. That does not prove video games cause school shootings.This is called a correlation-causation error. When an event is extremely rare, common traits cannot explain it..Who Decides What a Mental Illness Is?The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), is the clinical standard for diagnosing mental illness. The manual is reviewed by experts across psychiatry, neuroscience, statistics, and epidemiology who track diagnostic patterns worldwide.In other words, this is not some “woke” book. It is one of the most scrutinized consensus documents in modern medicine.While the manual includes a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, which indicates significant distress when it occurs, the DSM-5 removed “gender identity disorder” because simply being transgender itself does not meet the scientific criteria of a mental disorder. A Common Sense Assessment. No, Really.One thing I like about Western Standard readers is your commitment to common sense. So let’s apply it..ROBSON: Tumbler Ridge shows Canada has a threat detection problem, not just a violence problem.Is it possible that the kid who committed this crime is mentally ill? Of course. But neither you nor I, nor the police, are qualified to decide that.Mental illness cannot be diagnosed from a headline.The DSM-5 is clear that feeling angry, withdrawn, or emotionally overwhelmed does not automatically signal a disorder. Someone can commit an unspeakable crime without meeting clinical criteria for mental illness.Responses to stressors like death or prolonged bullying are not automatically disorders either. If someone commits a crime after repeated rejection, that is not, on its own, psychiatric evidence..Being Transgender Itself Is Not a DisorderFor a condition to qualify as a mental disorder, it must involve a clinically significant disturbance in functioning, such as the ability to work, attend school, care for oneself, or maintain relationships.Being transgender is not, by itself, such a disturbance. Behaviour that deviates from social norms, or conflict between an individual and society, is not a disorder on its own.You could describe some participants in the trucker protest as having a conflict with society, but I doubt many of you would call them mentally ill.Again, this is common sense. Wearing clothing society finds shocking, or altering one’s body in ways others find alarming, is not a clinically significant disturbance. Humans have unsettled one another with personal expression for centuries.You might find it strange. That does not make it a disorder..REVEALED: Tumbler Ridge mass shooting suspect had history of mental illness, family known to police.That is why “gender identity disorder” is no longer in the DSM-5. You might not like it, but for many transgender people, it does not interfere with functioning. Therefore, it is not a mental disorder.So What About Tumbler Ridge?The danger is not asking why tragedies happen. It is that our brains prefer simple answers to complex systems.After a catastrophe, intuitive explanations feel especially convincing. History repeatedly warns us how often those instincts mislead..On February 14, 1349, leaders in Strasbourg ordered the execution of thousands of Jews, after blaming them for poisoning wells. The real cause was the plague. Fear produced certainty. Certainty produced atrocity.Humans are pattern-seeking creatures, especially when frightened. Even if Jesse Van Rootselaar’s potential transgender identity were somehow related to what happened in Tumbler Ridge, that would not justify treating every transgender young person as a threat.If a shooter played violent video games or listened to certain music, we would not treat gamers and music fans as future killers.The evidence simply does not support it. Serious analysis requires us to resist explanations that feel emotionally satisfying, but lack predictive value..OLDCORN: End ‘Visa King’ and immigration consultants — Canadian immigration is not a Cracker Jack box prize.Let’s Call This What It Is: A TragedyTumbler Ridge is a tragedy. It is a crime. It is trauma still unfolding in a small community.It is not a moment of reckoning for gun owners. It is not a crisis to politicize. It is not even proof of mental illness, because we do not know that yet. If that emerges later, then yes, we should reconsider how to support young people who are hurting badly enough to hurt others.As a mom, I think about that when I look at my 12-year-old and 7-year-old and ask whether I am doing enough to keep their world safe..There are people in this country who are transgender and have committed no crime. They want the same opportunity the rest of us have to live in peace and safety.They want to wear what they want, use the name they want, practice the religion they want, and seek the healthcare they want. They are not looking to take those rights from others. Freedom-loving people are smart to resist lumping entire groups together after the crime of one person. Whether that’s a group of gun owners, a religious group, or any other group. That’s a good, common sense instinct that keeps our fear from outrunning reason. History suggests that when we forget this, innocent people tend to pay the price in both rights and safety.Bridget Brown is a Calgary small business owner and is writing her Master's thesis in Neuroscience. You can read more of her writing at imposterreview.substack.com

TOKEN LEFTY: Being transgender is not a crime — don’t turn the Tumbler Ridge tragedy into a culture war

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