Virginia
Trans man killed by Fairfax Police responding to mental health crisis
Parents say fatal shooting inside McLean home was unnecessary
A Fairfax County Police officer on July 7 shot and killed a transgender man who family members say was having a mental health crisis inside the family home where he lived after the man, identified as Jasper Aaron Lynch, 26, lunged at three officers while wielding a wine bottle as a weapon and refused the officers commands to drop the bottle, according to a statement released by Fairfax Police.
Lynchās parents released their own statement saying the use of deadly force was unnecessary and that the officers should have handled the incident āfar differently.ā
The police shooting incident and the release by Fairfax Police of body camera footage of the incident was widely reported in the news media.
But the news that Lynch was a transgender man did not surface until Aug. 24, when the Human Rights Campaign, the nationās largest LGBTQ advocacy group, released a statement disclosing that Lynch was trans and expressed support for his parentsā contention that the shooting was uncalled for.
āAaronās death marks the third fatal shooting by the police of a transgender person recorded by HRC since 2020,ā the HRC statement says. āTransgender people, especially transgender people of color, are at increased risk of experiencing police brutality, even in the wake of other encountered violence,ā the statement says.
In a detailed statement posted on their website, Fairfax Police say police involvement leading to the fatal shooting began shortly after 7 p.m. on July 7 when officers responded to the McLean home where Lynch lived with his parents and sister after receiving a call from a friend. The police statement says the friend said he was concerned for Lynchās safety because he was throwing objects inside the home and āpacing.ā
A police team arrived at the home a short time later that included an officer assigned to the police Crisis Intervention Team and a clinician from the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health, according to the statement. It says arriving officers were told Lynch left the residence before they arrived and couldnāt be found. The police team left the scene but shortly after police received a second call at about 8:34 p.m. from a friend of Lynchās saying Lynch had returned to the house and he was again acting erratically. A second police team was then dispatched to the house, the statement says.
āThis time, three crisis intervention trained officers arrived at the home and spoke to a family member on the scene,ā the statement continues. āThe officers found Lynch inside holding a bottle and an object, believed to be a large decorative wooden tribal mask,ā the statement says, adding, āThe officers attempted to de-escalate the situation with verbal commands inside the foyer of the home.ā
The statement continues, āLynch threw the mask at an officer and began to swing the bottle in striking motion. Two officers attempted to utilize their Electronic Control Weapons,ā referring to police tasers, it says. āLynch ran toward officers while swinging the bottle. One officer discharged his firearm, striking Lynch four times. Officers immediately rendered aid until fire and rescue personnel arrived. Lynch was pronounced deceased at the scene,ā it says.
The police statement concludes by saying under department policy, the officers involved have āall been placed on restricted duty pending the outcome of an administrative investigation by our Internal Affairs Bureau. An independent review will also be conducted by the Police Auditor.ā
Lynchās parents, Patrick and Kathy Lynch, declare in their own statement released to the media but that did not disclose that their son was transgender, that Lynch was āexperiencing a severe mental health crisis on July 7.ā
Their statement adds, āHe was scared and asked for both 911 calls that were made that day. We believe that the three police officers who answered the second 911 call could have, and should have, handled this far differently.ā
The statement continues, āTo respond to Aaronās mental health crisis by shooting him at all, let alone multiple times, cannot be justified. We recognize that, at times, police officers face grave and unknown dangers in the line of duty, but that was not the case for that call at our home regarding our son.ā
A spokesperson for the Fairfax Police couldnāt immediately be reached on Friday to determine the status of the Internal Affairs investigation into the fatal police shooting of Lynch.
A link to the police body worn camera video and audio recording of the shooting and an explanation by police of what prompted the shooting can be accessed here:
Virginia
Freddieās to hold āLove Festā Drag Story Hour after bomb threat
Arlington gay bar receives outpouring of support from community
Freddieās Beach Bar and Restaurant, the Arlington, Va. LGBTQ establishment, has announced it is hosting a āLove Festā celebration on Saturday, May 4 that will include a Drag Queen Story Hour brunch in response to a bomb threat that interrupted the first Drag Story Hour event it hosted four weeks earlier.
āHelp us stop the hate,ā a flier announcing the May 4 Love Fest event says. āJoin us for our next story time brunch, dressed in your favorite Rainbow/Hippie outfit,ā the flier says. āCarry your homemade signs of support.ā
Freddie Lutz, Freddieās Beach Bar owner, said a portion of the proceeds of the event will be donated to local LGBTQ charities.
Lutz has reported that separate email messages with a bomb threat were sent to the Freddieās in the Crystal City section of Arlington, the Freddieās Beach Bar in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and to him personally with a threat targeting his and his husbandās house located near the Freddieās in Crystal City.
He said the first threat arrived about an hour before the April 6 Drag Story Hour was scheduled to begin, with drag queen Tara Hoot scheduled to read childrenās stories to what Lutz said was a large turnout of kids with their parents and family members. After asking all patrons to exit the bar into its rear outdoor seating area and parking lot, Arlington police conducted a thorough search of the premises with a bomb sniffing dog and found no trace of a bomb.
All customers, including parents and their children, were invited back inside and the show took place as planned, with drag performer Hoot describing the event as a display of āfun and love and joy.ā
Lutz has said the May 4 Love Fest event, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., is intended to show the community and those responsible for bomb threats at many of the past Drag Story Hour events, that these events enjoy strong community support.
āTheyāre trying to scare us and intimidate us, and I just donāt think as a community we can allow that to happen,ā he told WUSA 9 TV News. āIt emboldens me to just carry on,ā he said.
He told the Washington Blade he and his staff are honored that they have received an outpouring of support from community organizations, other nearby businesses, and government officials.
The Arlington County Board, which is the governing body of the county, voted unanimously on April 9 to approve a statement supporting Freddieās Beach Bar and the LGBTQ community in response to the bomb threat incident.
āArlington County and the County board unequivocally support the LGBTQ+ community,ā the statement says. āArlington County Police Departmentās swift response ensured the safety of patrons and staff, and the fortitude of Freddie and drag queen Tara Hoot allowed the show to go on,ā the statement continues.
āWith protests, threats, and violence targeting the LGBTQ+ community ā and drag shows in particular ā on the rise across the country, expressions of hatred and bigotry have absolutely no place in our community, and the Arlington County Board condemns these threats of violence and attempted intimidation of our community,ā it says.
Virginia
Norfolk transgender resource center vandalized
Anti-trans graffiti spraypainted onto Southeastern Transgender Resource Center’s windows
The Norfolk Police Department is investigating the vandalism of a transgender resource center’s building.
Tarena Williams, founder of the Southeastern Transgender Resource Center, told WAVY that someone spraypainted anti-trans graffiti on the windows of her organization’s offices on Sunday or Monday morning. Williams told the Hampton Roads television station that seeing the messages was like “walking into hell.”
āI opened up STRC, even the Lamina House,ā she told WAVY. āI opened up that to get away from those types of words. This is a place you can come to get away from that, but to see that sprayed over the window. Itās kind of like you are walking into hell. ā¦ To be honest, I was like in shock.ā
Authorities are investigating the vandalism.
Virginia
Bomb threat interrupts Drag Story Hour event at Arlington gay bar
Event resumed after police, bomb sniffing dog search of Freddieās Beach Bar
A Drag Story Hour event hosted by the Arlington, Va. gay bar and restaurant Freddieās Beach Bar was interrupted by a bomb threat sent by email on Saturday, April 6, requiring parents and their children attending the event to exit the bar into its rear outdoor seating area and parking lot until police and a bomb sniffing dog searched the premises and found no trace of a bomb.
Freddie Lutz, owner of Freddieās Beach Bar, located in the Crystal City section of South Arlington, said the threatening email from an unidentified sender came during the first time he has hosted a Drag Story Hour event, which includes a drag performer reading childrenās stories to children accompanied by their parents.
āWe had a lot of neighborhood families with kids and babies and one grandmother in there,ā Lutz told the Washington Blade. āIt was a great turnout, and we had to push them all out to the back parking lot,ā he said. āAnd they waited, which I thanked them for, until the coast was clear. And then they came back in.ā
Lutz said that two protesters opposed to the drag event showed up outside Freddieās on Saturday, at the time of the Drag Story Hour event. He said drag performer Tara Hoot, who conducted the Drag Story Hour at Freddieās, told him before the event started that some of her previous Drag Story Hour events have been targeted with bomb threats and protesters.
āSo, we were kind of prepared or I guess you could say psychologically prepared for it,ā Lutz said. āAnd sure enough, we got an email threatening the bar and also me personally at my residence, which was a little unsettling,ā he said, adding that nothing was found at his nearby South Arlington house.
In response to an inquiry from the Blade, Arlington police released a brief statement about the incident.
āAt approximately 11:15 a.m. on April 6, police were dispatched to the report of a bomb threat emailed to a business,ā the statement says. āResponding officers made contact with the occupants, conducted a sweep of the business and found no evidence of criminal activity located at the restaurant during the sweep,ā it says. āThe investigation into the threat is ongoing.ā
Hoot, who has been conducting Drag Story Hour events in the D.C. area for more than a year, said as many as eight of her past events have been targeted by hostile protesters or bomb threats, although no bombs have ever been found at the locations where the events have taken place.
Hoot said like protesters targeting her previous events, the two protesters at the Freddieās event, a man and a woman, cited their religious believes as their reason for opposing the Drag Story Hour event.
āThey were spewing religious hate,ā Hoot told the Blade. āThey were trying to shame parents for bringing their kids.ā
Hoot said she includes in the performances songs of interest to children and reads from childrenās books such as the Very Hungry Caterpillar, a book that talks about bravery and other positive themes. āAnd then I give them bubbles and rainbow ribbons and we all color together,ā she said. āItās just fun and love and joy.ā
Started in San Francisco in 2015 by an organization called Drag Story Hour, the story hour events have taken place across the country in libraires, bookstores, and venues such as restaurants and bars.
āIn spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves,ā the organization says on its website.
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