Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Journalists have been reaching out to me in every possible way to figure out how to confirm that the person who jumped off the VA Hospital in Syracuse on January 27, 2025 was Elisa Rae Shupe.

They can’t report until they confirm so they ask me, they ask for family contacts, they ask for my sources.

They ask the wrong questions.

They should be asking the Veteran’s Administration, the Department of Defense, and the local law departments why they refuse to confirm the identity of the person who took this action.

They don’t deny it happened.

So why is Elisa Rae Shupe’s death by suicide different?

All of this journalistic energy trying to track down her spouse, her siblings, her friends. All of it has been wasted and should have been directed at the governmental officials responsible for informing the public. The same people who were denounced in Elisa’s suicide note. The same people who were responsible for her healthcare. Why are they not responsible for her death care? Why deny her the simple dignity of an acknowledgment?

Are they hiding something? How did Elisa gain access to that roof? A veteran recently released from in-patient care with a known history of mental illness got onto the roof. Could other patients do the same – are they worried about contagion or liability? Is there a history of similar completed suicides or attempts at this VA? What about all VAs?

I get that a bold transgender veteran with a history of big behaviors who refused to be silent even when her deepest secrets were revealed is not a good look for the VA. Her mode of death – especially wrapped in a trans flag – presents issues for an administration tasked with eradicating trans servicepeople.

Why aren’t Congressional members of the armed services or veteran’s affairs asking for clarity? They are busy defending democracy. But speaking up for Elisa is defending democracy. Something tells me the flags flown over the Capitol Building are still being mailed out to constituents. Taps is still played at veterans’ funerals. Young people are talked into joining the military every day. Caskets are still met. Conversations about military action in Ukraine are had. But no one is addressing the elephant in this room.

Congress isn’t going to do this work. It is up to the media to get the confirmation and the story about the lack of confirmation. What outlets have access to the VA and DOD? NYT, WaPo, NBC, for starters. All of whom contacted this blog for that information.

Don’t let the VA and DoD sweep trans service folx under rugs. It is their job to confirm Elisa’s death.

Do your job and hold them accountable for theirs.

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