By Logan Langlois
NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville-based conservative media outlet The Daily Wire published an article last week misrepresenting the fundraiser concert ‘Trans Day of Vengeance’ meant to raise money for low-income trans people, hosted by local non-profit Boro Fondo. In the article, Daily Wire writer Luke Rosiak connects the Murfreesboro benefit to the anniversary of the March 27 Nashville Covenant School shooting, highlighting the benefit’s March 31 show date. Though Boro Fondo responded to Rosiak’s email asking “the meaning of ‘trans vengeance,’” Rosiak’s originally published article claimed Fondo did not respond for comment, which he later stated was because their response went to his email’s spam folder.
“Our hearts go out to the affected families, and you’ll find many trans people denounce what this person did. However, it is merely a play on ‘Trans Day of Visibility’ which is the day on which the show is taking place,” read Boro Fondo’s originally unpublished response. “Our ‘vengeance’ is simply existing despite the immense adversity trans people face in Tennessee every day. We would like to stress that nobody associated with us is planning any violent acts and would be denounced and removed from our community if they did.”
Boro Fondo organizers said they were forced to cancel the show citing physical safety concerns after they received both multitudes of threatening messages online and messages from concerned community members. Following the event’s cancellation, Rosiak posted a follow-up article to The Daily Wire shaming Boro Fondo for “not apologizing for the optics of calling for ‘vengeance’” and identifying themselves as victims of the Daily Wire’s original article.
At no point in Rosiak’s original Daily Wire article does he mention Trans Day of Visibility has been active on March 31 since 2009. The original posting also described the organization being donated to, Point of Pride, as “a group that provides gender reassignment surgery.” Fondo organizers said this description is “blatantly incorrect,” since the group merely provides funds for things like hormones, gender-affirming binders, and sometimes surgery.
Rosiak repeatedly mentions unrelated “Trans Day of Vengeance” rallies that were canceled last year after the Covenant Shooting and included rhetoric from the Trans Radical Activist Network (TRAN). Neither Boro Fondo nor Graveyard Gallery have any public affiliation with TRAN, nor have cited any of TRAN’s rhetoric. Boro Fondo’s lead organizer of Trans Day of Vengeance said she had not even heard of TRAN until The Daily Wire article, citing the concert’s name has been used long before the Covenant Shooting in queer spaces.
“The name … comes from actual trans-punk bands that have not been involved in violence like that,” said Boro Fondo. “That specific name comes from a song by … The Hirs Collective.”
Rosiak’s Daily Wire article was immediately picked up by other conservative outlets such as the American Wire. The article’s spread would occur before being updated with Boro Fondo’s response. Boro Fondo said they are thankful Rosiak included their response after he was sent a screenshot of their statement by a separate party, though they received no direct confirmation from Rosiak that he would update the article or when.
Boro Fondo organizers said upon the publishing of Rosiak’s article on The Daily Wire, they saw threats of “actual violence” on social media. Organizers said they canceled the show only after receiving multitudes of threatening messages online and after several performers either dropped or voiced concerns. Fondo organizers said the concert was never meant to be an outward political statement, but a celebration of trans people.
“It’s just a concert bro,” said an organizer.
Copyright 2024, TN TRIBUNE, all rights reserved.
