As was widely reported, the Dayton mass shooter had a sister, Megan, who was tragically murdered by her brother along with eight other victims. Now, news has started to leak out that Megan was living as a transgender man.
On multiple social media platforms, Megan identified as “Jordan.” There were friends who knew her as Jordan, but according to them, she had not told her family and was not open about it. Because of this, it is not believed Megan’s identity issues were related to her death.
The first source to identify Megan as Jordan was Splinter. It’s an online paper that says it “offers a sharp point of view, delivering news coverage for a new America: justice-minded, inclusive, and incisive. We believe in telling the truth about outdated institutions and calling out injustices when we see them.”
Following the revelations, the New York Post and Washington Examiner also reported the sibling’s gender preference, followed by multiple LGBT news sources.
In addition, Megan had accounts with Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter where she was listed as “Jordan.” On Facebook, she was Megan.
One of her Twitter friends reached out to Splinter in a message, sharing, “Jordan was my closest friend. He identified with he/him pronouns to people he trusted and knew 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.”
The parents of the two siblings do not recognize Megan as Jordan. They delivered a statement through police following the horrific shooting.
“This family is shocked and devastated by the events of Sunday morning in the Oregon District…They ask that everyone respect their family’s privacy in order to mourn the loss of their son and daughter and to process the horrors of Sunday’s events,” the statement said.
Megan’s obituary includes her full name, Megan Kathleen Betts, and identifies her mother’s maiden name as Cofer.
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Beth Lear is a reporter at The Ohio Star. Follow Beth on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Megan Betts and Connor Betts” by Megan Betts.
