One of the victims of the mass shooting that occurred in Dayton, Ohio on August 4 has been identified as transgender man Jordan Cofer.
The shooting was perpetrated by Jordan's brother, Connor Betts, and media outlets misgendered Jordan throughout their coverage of the event, referring to him by his birth name and calling him Betts' 'sister'. It wasn't until later that friends of Jordan whom he had come out to made people aware of this situation.
One of Jordan's friends, who requested to remain anonymous, spoke to the website Splinter to inform them the mistake. They said, 'Jordan was my close friend. He identified with he/him pronouns to people he trusted and knew he would support him. Jordan was probably one of the sweetest people you would ever meet, a true saint, but he was also very scared constantly. He tried to give the best to everyone.'
Jordan's friend said that he had not come out to his family, but had social media accounts under his correct name and pronouns. His Tumblr account identified him as a 'trans boy with a loving heart and way too much work to do'.
A friend of his wrote on Twitter 'He was a trans man who went by Jordan Cofer. It hurts seeing the [birth name] plastered everywhere when I know that's not him'.
A post on Instagram said, 'Jordan was my best friend, a love, and a perfect soul. I can't imagine my world without him. I cannot fathom how angry I am, how hurt I am... Words can not describe how much I will miss you, how much I love you, and how heartbroken I am.'
Due to Jordan not being out to his family there is no evidence that he was targeted by his brother due to being trans.
A spokesperson for the National Centre for Transgender Equality said 'We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Jordan as well as eight others in this tragic and violent act. Mass gun violence is an epidemic in this country and deserving of swift and immediate action by lawmakers at all levels of government. We join the nation in mourning for every community impacted by gun violence.'
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