A man was arrested after he threatened to bomb the offices of Merriam-Webster Dictionary because he strongly objected to how the Massachusetts book publisher defined the words, "girl," "female" and "woman."
The Merriam-Webster offices in Springfield and New York were shut down for five business days as a result of receiving the threat of violence.
A California man was arrested for making violent threats against the Merriam-Webster over the dictionary company's gender definitions, the Department of Justice announced Friday.https://cbsn.ws/36IUVZj— CBS News (@CBS News) 1650877200
According to LGBTQ Nation, Jeremy David Hanson, a 34-year-old from Orange County, California, contacted the publisher through their website last October and commented under the word entry for "female":
“It is absolutely sickening that Merriam Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda."
There are no words for this.— Manzi (@Manzi) 1650667711
The Daily Beastreported that Hanson–whom prosecutors say had been targeting "woke" companies with inclusive corporate policies–was identified as a supporter of former President Donald Trump.
You can watch a news report here.
California Man Charged With Making Online Threats To Merriam-Webster About LGBTQ Communitywww.youtube.com
In his rant against Merriam-Webster's inclusive language defining "female," Hanson grumbled:
“There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’"
“The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”
Wow. They really do not like reality.— Label Here (@Label Here) 1650668550
Merriam-Webster has 13 definitions for the entry for "female"–three of which are nouns.
What Hanson likely referred to in his complaint was the description of "female" as an adjective, which reads:
"Having a gender identity that is the opposite of male."
Why would anyone threaten those who compile the dictionary? I am at a loss for words. I hope the judge throws the book at him.— Robin Messing (@Robin Messing) 1650704459
Under the dictionary's definition for "girl," Hanson wrote:
"The moron who created this fake definition should be hunted down and shot. I am sick and tired of these cultural Marxists denying science and destroying the English Language."
"Merriam-Webster headquarters should be shot up and bombed. Boys aren’t girls.”
They\u2019re going after the dictionary now?pic.twitter.com/x08BMta5ku— divine miss em (@divine miss em) 1650679043
He allegedly also sent direct messages to Merriam-Webster through its "Contact Us" page on their website, writing:
"I am going to shoot up and bomb your offices for lying and creating fake definitions in order to pander to the tranny mafia… "
"The only good Marxist is a dead Marxist. I will assassinate your top editor. You sickening, vile tranny freaks.”
please start telling GQP lawmakers that they are the cause of this increase in violence— Octopus \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Octopus \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1650677959
I\u2019m just shocked a Trumper cracked open a book that wasn\u2019t Ayn Rand or the Bible. Maybe the Right will ban dictionaries from libraries next?— adam sleper (@adam sleper) 1650674150
They\u2019re at war with Math and now at war with the dictionary.— LibsOfTikTok is Chaya Raichik \ud83c\udf39 \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@LibsOfTikTok is Chaya Raichik \ud83c\udf39 \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1650679640
The Daily Beast also reported that in April 2020, Hansen made a similar threat against Land O' Lakes after the dairy-focused agricultural cooperative announced they would remove the depiction of a Native American woman from all its packaging.
“Land O Lakes headquarters deserve to be shot up and bombed for turning into a cultural Marxist company that panders to political correctness," Hansen wrote on Instagram under the handle, @quinserath1, according to an unnamed Land O' Lakes employee.
FBI Boston Division spokesperson Joseph R. Bonavolonta said of the threat against Merriam Webster:
“We are always going to pursue individuals who try to intimidate and isolate members of our community by inciting violent, hateful acts."
“Threats to life are most certainly not protected speech and they cause real fear in victims.”
I hope they throw the book at him.— Vic Vela (@Vic Vela) 1650671014
Hanson lives with his mother, who said her son is "fixated on transgender issues" and "suffers from developmental disorders, including autism, and is unable to reason through the consequences of making statements that could be construed as threats."
She assured that her son "poses no threat to the community because he is reclusive, she supervises him, and he has no access to weapons.”
Hanson faces a charge for one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence.
The DOJ said he could face up to five years in prison with three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.
He was released under conditions and is scheduled for his first federal court appearance on April 29.