This week on Transpositive PDX, we will be addressing the recent tragic school shooting in Minneapolis, a moment that once again calls us to reflect on the deep crises facing our country and our communities. As with all acts of mass violence, we mourn the lives lost, we hold their families in our hearts, and we recognize that the impact of these events stretches far beyond the immediate community where the tragedy occurred.
For transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse youth — who already face higher rates of harassment, violence, and exclusion in schools — the threat of gun violence is yet another reminder that the systems meant to keep children safe are failing. As a program dedicated to lifting up the voices of our community, we believe it is vital to situate this tragedy within the larger landscape of both national politics and lived daily realities for trans people.
On this episode, guest hosts Emma, Nicolette, and Sheila will discuss not only the immediate implications of this shooting but also the broader context of gun violence in America. We will explore the long history of Democratic efforts to pass gun control legislation — efforts often supported by the majority of Americans — and the counter-efforts of the gun lobby, which has consistently mobilized money, influence, and fear to block even the most basic protections for our children. From background checks to assault weapons bans, we will examine how policy debates play out, who benefits from the status quo, and why the resistance to reform is so deeply entrenched.
At Transpositive PDX, we roundly condemn this and every act of school violence, and we affirm that the solution to school shootings is not scapegoating vulnerable groups, as too often happens in the national media, but rather the passage of meaningful gun control legislation. We also recognize that trans youth, their families, and their allies experience these tragedies in uniquely vulnerable ways, and we will uplift those perspectives that are too often left out of mainstream discussions.
KBOO has always been committed to free speech, community radio, and opening the airwaves to conversations that commercial media ignores. In that tradition, this episode of Transpositive PDX is not just about analyzing the failures of national politics, but about building awareness, solidarity, and action. We believe that our community deserves to be safe, to be heard, and to imagine a world where schools are places of learning and joy, not of fear and violence.
We invite you to tune in to this important and timely discussion. Together, we can resist narratives that divide us and instead build movements that demand accountability, care, and change.
Join us live on Tuesday, September 16th at 6:00 PM on 90.7 FM in Portland or stream from anywhere at kboo.fm. Transpositive PDX is part of KBOO Community Radio, 55 years strong, powered by volunteers, listener support, and a commitment to centering marginalized voices on the free and public airwaves.
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