Anita Sarkeesian Cancels Speaking Event in Light of Shooting Threat
Video game critic, blogger, and founder of Feminist Frequency Anita Sarkeesian was supposed to give a speech about the role of women in video games Utah State University today. However, Sarkeesian, one of the prominent targets of #Gamergate, chose to cancel the event after the school received a threat of a mass shooting if she gave her talk.
The college received an email stating that they would carry out “the deadliest school shooting in American history” if Sarkeesian gave her lecture, saying, “I have at my disposal a semi-automatic rifle, multiple pistols, and a collection of pipe bombs.”
The school and law enforcement assessed the threat and decided it was safe proceed with the event, but they also decided to maintain state and local law by allowing those with a concealed firearm permit to attend the event. Sarkeesian decided to cancel the event herself. Fair enough. Threats like these have been following Sarkeesian around, and they are an odd balance of terrifying and completely, utterly pathetic.
Dangling the possibility of mass violence simply because you don’t want a woman to give a speech is to take Sarkeesian and everyone interested in what she has to say hostage. But it also gives her voice more power while merely continuing to prove how batshit stupid these anti-woman “activists” are.
Image via YouTube.