Two Years Later – The Tennessee Tranifesto Comes to Light

A memorial for The Covenant School shooting victims on March 31, 2023. (photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/For The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Two years ago, we reported on the tragic shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, where a trans-identified killer, Audrey “Aiden” Hale, forcefully entered a school and carried out the deadly attack using two AR-style rifles and a handgun. Following the attack, authorities reported that Hale left behind a "manifesto." However, subsequent evaluations by law enforcement characterized these documents as “ramblings…lacking specific political, religious or social issues.” Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles ruled that the journals could not be released to the public, citing protections under the federal Copyright Act. Two years later, it was finally revealed to the public that Audrey Hale left behind "a series of notebooks, art composition books, and media files" that, according to police, detailed her plans, motivation, and how she prepared for the attack.

Photograph of notebooks, composition books, sketchbooks and folders that were recovered from Hale’s bedroom on March 27, 2023. (photo by Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department concluded that the shooter longed for fame. Hale meticulously planned the attack over several years, idolized other mass shooters and wished to inspire future attacks. The final report indicated her desire for infamy.

A still image captured Audrey Hale breaking into The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, 2023

Hale chose The Covenant School, the Christian elementary school she once attended, because the young students would be less likely to resist, and the school's religious affiliation would amplify the attack's notoriety. She knew the school was geographically isolated, which would give her more time to carry out the attack before the police arrived.

Hale attended The Covenant School as a child.

Hale managed to hide her deteriorating mental health from family and therapists. She managed to manipulate them into thinking that she was no longer having suicidal or homicidal thoughts. The journals revealed frustration with her trans identity and gender transition. According to leaked excerpts of her writing, the shooter dreamed of having an “imaginary penis.” She hated being raised as a girl and stated that she “would kill to get puberty blockers.”

Investigators initially denied any racial motivations, but her notebooks revealed her desire to kill white people.

One of the weapons Audrey Hale used in the attack, sourced from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

Activists insist that Audrey Hale needed "gender-affirming care” for her psychological issues, even though hormones and surgery do not treat psychosis, rage, or trauma. It is apparent that recent cultural changes have sparked violence from the trans community. Many have doubled down, calling for more violence and even praising Hale as a martyr. Unlike the gay and lesbian community, which has historically been composed of adults who loudly oppose involving children, the mainstreaming of transqueer ideology has flooded youth culture with identity confusion. However, activists increasingly demand blind affirmation of these unstable identities and choose to ignore the skyrocketing rates of comorbidities like depression, self-harm, suicidality, and in some cases, mass violence.

“Oppressed minorities strike back, and if you don't want it to happen, stop oppressing them. People with nothing left to lose will sometimes not kts [kill themselves], but instead become martyrs…I won't pretend like this wasn't caused by the recent legislation in TN.”

New Jersey public schools see non-binary identification increase by 4,000% over the last four years. (Schemmel, 2023)

We're here to sound the alarm. Recent evidence shows that in the rush to “affirm trans youth,” the medical industry is pushing children into undergoing irreversible procedures, and they are too young to understand the long-term consequences. Studies around the world have linked so-called “gender-affirming care” to altered brain development, reduced IQ, stunted bone growth, and increased violent behavior. 

Advocates for caution recognize that it is necessary to slow down and respect The Hippocratic Oath. Promoting open conversations about identity should never come at the expense of child safety or parental rights. No child is "trapped in the wrong body." Parents and doctors should protect kids, not hand them over to a movement that thrives on confusion and control. Many parents and gay people understand that, despite being highly politicized, protecting children from irreversible harm is not an inherently political issue; it is an ethical issue. Mutilating children is NOT mental health care. Real care encourages children to grow into who they are, not who activists want them to be.

Gays Against Groomers unequivocally condemns the sick, dangerous activists who use their "gender identity" as cover to target, exploit, and hurt children. We refuse to let those who glorify violence play the victim while they push an agenda that is tearing our community apart. We will not be scapegoated for the fallout of a corrupt ideology that seeks to sexualize, indoctrinate, and amputate the healthy body parts of children. This has gone too far, and it is going to take those from within the community to put a stop to it for good.

References: 

Harsell, E., & Costa, M. (2023, March 28). Deranged trans extremist attacks Nashville Christian school — Our opinion. Radar. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/deranged-trans-extremist-attacks-nashville-christian-school-our-opinion 

Hampton, D. J., Ortiz, E., & Dilanian, K. (2023, April 14). Motive in Nashville shooting remains unclear weeks after 6 people were killed at a Christian school. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motive-nashville-shooting-remains-unclear-weeks-6-people-killed-christ-rcna79700 

Loller, T. (2024, July 5). Judge says Nashville school shooter’s writings can’t be released as victims’ families have copyright. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/nashville-covenant-school-shooting-ruling-487c65dddaeeedc49e3e15edba8bcdb7 

Mattise, J., Kruesi, K., & Loller, T. (2025, April 2). Police say the 2023 Nashville school shooter hid mental health issues from doctors and family. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-b76266b7b23ffe6178b8520e507a95de 

Oliveira, A. (2025, April 2). Covenant School trans shooter targeted elementary class because little kids wouldn’t put up a fight, her sick diaries reveal. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2025/04/02/us-news/nashville-school-shooter-audrey-hale-spent-years-preparing-for-attack-that-killed-6/ 

Metro Nashville Police Department. (2025). Investigative case summary: Case number 2023-0181711. Criminal Investigations Division – Homicide Unit. https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/Covenant_Final_Summary.pdf 

Rappert, T. (2024, September 3). The Tennessee Star releases ‘manifesto’ left by transgender Covenant School killer Audrey Hale. The Tennessee Star. https://tennesseestar.com/covenant-school-shooting/the-tennessee-star-releases-manifesto-left-by-transgender-covenant-school-killer-audrey-hale/tpappert/2024/09/03/ 

Cirrone, J. (2024, June 16). Journalist threatened with jail over publishing trans shooter Audrey Hale's deranged journal writings. Daily Mail UK. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13536175/Journalist-threatened-jail-publishing-trans-shooter-Audrey-Hales-journal-writings.html 

Bradford, C. (2025, April 8). Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale’s warped diary entries revealed she wanted to ‘kill all the white kids’ in massacre. The U.S. Sun. https://www.the-sun.com/news/13961437/audrey-hale-nashville-school-shooter-diary/ 

Oliveira, A. (2025, April 7). Trans Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale ranted about wanting to ‘kill all the white kids’ in newly revealed diary entries. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2025/04/07/us-news/trans-nashville-school-shooter-audrey-hale-ranted-about-wanting-to-kill-all-the-white-kids-in-newly-revealed-diary-entries/ 

Schemmel, A. (2023, June 19). Number of 'Non-Binary' students in New Jersey up 4,000 percent since 2019. Washington Free Beacon. https://freebeacon.com/campus/number-of-non-binary-students-in-new-jersey-up-4000-percent-since-2019/ 

Raven. (2025, April 17). Hippocratic hypocrisy: A first responder's call to action. RADAR. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/hippocratic-hypocrisy-a-first-responder-s-call-to-action