NFollowing the deadly attack at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, more details have emerged about who is believed to have opened fire. Defense attorneys said ahead of a first court hearing that Anderson A. describes himself as a non-binary person — meaning he doesn’t clearly identify as either a man or a woman.
A. shot and killed five people at Club Q in Colorado Springs on Saturday night. 18 others were injured, some seriously, in the attack. A. was overpowered by two guests and arrested by the police.
US media reports of a difficult childhood
The motive for the crime is so far unclear. At a first short court hearing on Wednesday, A. was connected via video. The 22-year-old person sat in the county jail in orange inmate garb and spoke only to confirm his name and information about his rights. The lawyers had previously informed the court in writing about the non-binary gender identity. A. wanted with “Mx. A.”, the court filings said in a footnote, preferring the pronouns “they/them.”
US media also reported that A. had a difficult childhood. A.’s parents separated when the child was two years old. Both parents had drug problems.
A.’s father, who says he used to work as a porn actor and is now a martial arts trainer, said on CBS that he “praised” A. for violent behavior as a child. “I told him it was working,” he said. The father told the New York Times that he had also expressed his strong aversion to homosexuals to A. He said on CBS, “There are no gays in the Mormon Church.”
On Saturday, Club Q celebrated the day of remembrance for the “victims of transphobia” with a drag queen show, among other things. November 20 is celebrated worldwide as “Transgender Day of Remembrance”. The English abbreviation LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.