Honoring the Pronouns of . . . Trans Vegan Anarchist Cult Members?

My recent article “How I May Have Solved a Murder” details how I began reporting on a shooting in Vermont, but ended up identifying a murder suspect in a California case. It was challenging to cover a “trans rat community” known as the “Zizians,” in part because understanding the complex story requires juggling hundreds of small details. I began my first draft about two weeks ago, and by now, plenty of other reporters have published pieces about the Zizian ties to recent homicides — but many of their articles are misleading.

As I explained in my article, the Zizians subscribe to the ideas set forth in the blog “Sinceriously” by Jack LaSota, who self-identified as a “trans woman” and went by “Ziz.” Most (though not all) of his accomplices can be described as vegan “trans women” anarchists with computer-science backgrounds and a strong interest in artificial intelligence. Ziz et al gained notoriety for a bizarre protest that spurred a heavy police response and prompted media coverage; the group later became associated with violence and murder, a reputation that has been reinforced recently with the Vermont shooting and California stabbing. Although those two deadly events occurred just weeks ago and the courts haven’t yet arrived at verdicts, the circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that there are ideological Zizian fingerprints all over the crime scenes.

About the Author

Abigail Anthony

Abigail Anthony is a staff writer at National Review.

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My recent article “How I May Have Solved a Murder” details how I began reporting on a shooting in Vermont, but ended up identifying a murder suspect in a California case. It was challenging to cover a “trans rat community” known as the “Zizians,” in part because understanding the complex story requires juggling hundreds of small details. I began my first draft about two weeks ago, and by now, plenty of other reporters have published pieces about the Zizian ties to recent homicides — but many of their articles are misleading.

As I explained in my article, the Zizians subscribe to the ideas set forth in the blog “Sinceriously” by Jack LaSota, who self-identified as a “trans woman” and went by “Ziz.” Most (though not all) of his accomplices can be described as vegan “trans women” anarchists with computer-science backgrounds and a strong interest in artificial intelligence. Ziz et al gained notoriety for a bizarre protest that spurred a heavy police response and prompted media coverage; the group later became associated with violence and murder, a reputation that has been reinforced recently with the Vermont shooting and California stabbing. Although those two deadly events occurred just weeks ago and the courts haven’t yet arrived at verdicts, the circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that there are ideological Zizian fingerprints all over the crime scenes.