November 23, 2022
America has seen thirty mass shootings already this month. No words convey the degree to which gun violence is out of control in this country, nor the degree to which the population that defends their gun ownership will double down on their right to do so. But what is behind this preoccupation with pre-meditated, armed self-defense? And what about this obsession with an (always-shifting) perceived enemy of the non-white, non-male, non-conservative, non-Christian, non-straight “Other”?
There is a direct link between the fear-based rhetoric about this Other—be it “the Democrats,” “the libs,” "the feminists,” “the abortionists,” “the Jews,” “the immigrants,” “the Muslims," “the thugs,” “the teachers,” “the queers,” or “the drag queens”—and the desire for gun-ownership to protect the status quo. The group on the receiving end of this targeted hatred is always shifting because it’s not really about that group but the fear of change. This need to find an external enemy—an enemy who is, in fact, not a threat—is a profound act of projection. And because I can imagine the arguments: this is not currently a 50/50 relationship of responsibility. Yes, we’re all guilty of projection. But this dynamic in America is akin to an abusive relationship in which no matter what one partner says or does, the other partner will ultimately resort to screaming about their victimhood and violence. Yes, both partners can be human and can be flawed. Both partners can be scared. But when one partner is threatening the very survival of the other and tormenting daily life in the household, the responsibility for self-awareness is simply not equal. That argument either seeks harmony over truth, or blame over self-inquiry. When one population drums up fear and hatred and is heavily armed, people end up dead. Day after awful day.
To an individual or a collective society that wants safety and to maintain the status quo, change is the danger. Change is a threat. The lives of others that do not conform to your own life are perceived threats to your own life because you do not want to deal with change. You want things to continue just as they are. And so, the actor of change may—just like in nightmares—appear to you as the Devil or evil, a monster that has to be eradicated, no matter the truth of their essence. It’s too scary to have to consider the possibility that the Devil is actually your own unaddressed life, joy, and soul.
Like a crisis in any individual life that demands evolution, we each have a choice when confronted with social change: dig in our heels and resist, resist, resist; take to substances, shouting, and violence; or find the healers and the curiosity of others needed to step into the transformation and grow along with it.
The mass shooting on Saturday at Club Q in Colorado did not happen because one young white man was mentally unwell, or even just because he had access to military-style weapons. Those two issues alone must be addressed. But this young man was also being pumped full of fear and hateful rhetoric from his right-wing culture about the “dangers” of LGBTQ people, trans children, and drag queens, a constant refrain that the right is propagating right now under the banner of “protecting children.” Even since the shooting. As a result, trans and queer people were targeted, murdered, and injured that night (while one unarmed trans woman helped to subdue the killer).
According to Everytown for Gun Safety: “2021 was the deadliest year on record for trans and gender non-conforming people in the US—and this trend has continued in 2022—overwhelmingly impacting trans women of color.”
The LGBTQ community is not a threat, but they are threatened every day. Meanwhile, whether we are conscious of it or not, the LGBTQ community contributes every day to the psychological and social liberation of all of us, on the streets and in the very fact of their own self-liberation. Because individuation demands the recognition of what sets us apart, and the courage to live the life that calls from within.
Please join us on Saturday, December 3rd to learn from and spend time with three truly brilliant trans artists, academics, and souls: Cybele Brandow, Rae Davis, and tyler redskye.
No matter what you already know—or think you know—about the trans experience, this is a time for solidarity, curiosity, and self-expansion. No one will be on a soapbox. Even though we could speak for hours about the tragedy of current events and politics, I doubt we’ll spend much time there. This is an opportunity for community. We’ll sit in a virtual living room together to learn about the life journeys of three incredible people. Because I know these people, I truly hope that you’ll join us.
xo, Satya
Satya Doyle Byock, Director of The Salome Institute of Jungian Studies