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Coleman: Retweeting shares in spread of hate

I recently (and unfortunately) stumbled upon a retweet shared out by Anna Zane — an “Aspen Native. Wife. Mother of 4! Hockey mom. Right minded conservative.” — where she passed along hate, spewed toward the “leftists” and LGBTQ+ community after the shootings in Colorado Springs. After undoubtedly getting backlash on her own Twitter page, she added, “Retweets are not endorsements” to her profile. 

As a local business owner in a very small town (in a state where a mass shooting just took place in an LGBTQ+ establishment, no doubt) that struggles with mental health and higher than average rates of suicide (including minors identifiying at trans who have killed themselves in the past year in the RFV), she should understand this is absolutely unacceptable. This language is harmful, hateful, and salts the wounds of those who continue to be impacted by this rhetoric and toxicity on a daily basis. 

As a trusted news source in the area, The Aspen Times and others have a responsibility to report on the rhetoric being amplified by Anna Zane, I feel. The community deserves to know where their money is going from a business standpoint. I lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for years and visit often. I hope you all do the right thing.



Brett Coleman

Seattle, Washington