Author Dr. Jennifer Bauwens told Newsmax on Tuesday that she believes transgender identity can be a "symptom" of deeper psychological conditions that are not being properly addressed in a growing number of shootings involving individuals who identify as transgender.
Appearing on "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Bauwens reacted to the recent case of Robert Dorgan, who authorities said opened fire at a Rhode Island ice rink before taking his own life.
Investigators have said Dorgan had previously undergone a gender-related medical procedure and had interacted with medical and mental health professionals.
"What we're looking at here is the travesty," she said.
"This person had interaction with the medical and psychological community, obviously, because he had some kind of gender procedure.
"That would have been a great opportunity for a good assessment to really look at what his underlying conditions are, rather than go down a path that led him to further disconnect from his identity, from his body," Bauwens said.
Bowens called the incident "such a sad case," adding, "You have not just the loss of Mr. Dorgan, but you have other people, the victims who have lost lives.
"And this is becoming increasingly problematic."
Host Carl Higbie asked whether "transgenderism is possibly a symptom here."
"I believe so because you have all of these other comorbidities that are not being addressed in the clinical community," Bauwens said.
"And a lot of times you have clinicians who, the first sniff of a transgender identity, they go down the path of gender-affirming care rather than addressing the real issues.
"This person obviously had real issues, and that's a sad case because the field didn't help, they actually harmed," she continued.
Several high-profile shootings in recent years have involved perpetrators who identified as transgender or nonbinary.
In 2018, Snochia Moseley, who identified as transgender, fatally shot three people at a Rite Aid distribution center in Maryland before killing herself.
That same year, Alec McKinney, a student who identified as male after transitioning, was one of two students responsible for the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting in Colorado.
More recently, Aiden Hale, also known as Audrey Hale, carried out the 2023 attack at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, killing six people.
Other cases frequently cited in public debate include Jesse Van Rootselaar and Robin Westman, whose alleged involvement in violent incidents has drawn scrutiny online because of reported transgender identification.
Law enforcement officials have not concluded that gender identity itself was a causal factor in these crimes. Bauwens, author of "Embracing God's Design: Addressing the Spiritual and Psychological Crisis Behind Transgender Identity," said the focus should be on underlying mental health conditions.
"We need to be looking at what are the root causes of these shootings because they seem to be on the rise," she said.
"Of course, they're connected to other mental health conditions," she said.
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