Welcome to episode 5 of The Spectrum. This was recorded on January 31, 2025. I did not expect to be putting out two episodes in one day and this is not the episode I was working on. Instead this is related to the terrible air collision that happened in DC near National Airport. 

This is a terrible tragedy and at this point we don’t know the cause. However, not knowing is pretty much Donald Trump’s MO in dealing with life. Instead he just makes things up and this time he blamed the tragedy on DEI hiring practices. A terrible tragedy happens. Dozens of people lose their lives and this man gleefully tries to blame it on one of the things he hates.

This would be bad enough on its own, but this evening I found out through reporting in The Advocate and LGBTQ Nation that a conservative social media account named FakeGayNews has blamed the crash on a transgender National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Joe Ellis.

This is totally false. Ms. Ellis is alive and neither she nor any other Virginia Army National Guard were on board the helicopter. Ms. Ellis had to make a statement on Facebook saying that she was alive and not involved with the Black Hawk helicopter flight at all. That’s bad enough but the original post on FakeGayNews spread in MAGA social media circles and has probably put Ms. Ellis in danger.

It was bad enough that Trump had put a target on her back along with all other transgender military personnel but some MAGA nut job picked her name out of hat and put her in danger just because she is transgender. 

There needs to be charges filed agains whoever made this post. It is the act of a coward to post horrible things about someone anonymously and it is criminal when those posts put someone’s life in danger. Donald Trump’s dehumanizing speech about transgender people and posts like this are going to get someone hurt or killed. 

Advocate: https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-pilot-false-accusation-crash

LGBTQ Nation: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/01/conservatives-are-now-blaming-the-dc-crash-on-a-trans-woman-who-had-nothing-to-do-with-it/

Ms. Ellis Facebook statement: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A7eokvfkk/