Texas Man Charged with Threatening Doctor Who Treats Trans Patients
Prosecutors claim suspect allegedly left voicemail accusing a doctor who treats transgender patients of "castrating" children.
A Texas man faces federal charges in connection with threatening a Boston-based doctor who provides care to members of the transgender community.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, 38-year-old Matthew Jordan Lindner, of Comfort, Texas, was arrested on Dec. 2 and charged with one count of transmitting interstate threats. He is scheduled to appear in court via a video conference on Wednesday, Dec. 14, according to court records.
According to federal documents, in August of this year, inaccurate information spread online claiming that Boston Children’s Hospital performs hysterectomies and gender confirmation surgery on transgender patients under the age of 18 — charges that have since been refuted by Boston Children’s Hospital staff.
Based on that inaccurate information circulating online, Lindner allegedly called the Boston-based Fenway Institute’s National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center on Aug. 31 and left a threatening voicemail targeting one of the Center’s affiliated doctors.
In that voicemail, Lindner allegedly said: “You sick motherf*****s, you’re all gonna burn. There’s a group of people on their way to handle [the doctor affiliated with the Center. You signed your own warrant, lady. Castrating our children. You’ve woken up enough people. And upset enough of us. And you signed your own ticket. Sleep well, you f****n’ c**t.”
Phone records were used to trace the number of the phone leaving the voicemail to Lindner, and confirm that the number in question was used to contact the Health Education Center for 41 seconds, which is the approximate length of the threatening voicemail. Other phone records confirmed that someone used Lindner’s number to call a university in Rhode Island where the doctor who was targeted is a faculty member, and a phone number belonging to the doctor’s former medical practice.
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said that while the threat targeted a specific doctor, it also victimized LGBTQ people and their families.
“Death threats instill fear and terror in their targeted audiences. The conduct alleged here is not protected free speech,” Rollins said in a statement. “The words used here do not amount to someone simply expressing their discontent or engaging in a heated debate. Mr. Lindner’s alleged conduct — a death threat — is based on falsehoods and amounts to an act of workplace violence.
“The victim, a doctor caring for gender nonconforming and transgendered (sic) patients, should be able to engage in this meaningful and necessary work without fear of physical harm or death. And although the doctor is clearly a victim, Mr. Lindner’s threat is rooted in a hatred of the LGBTQIA+ community and the families, friends and people that love and support them. They are victims too,” Rollins continued.
“…The Department of Justice has pledged to protect the rights of the gender nonconforming and transgendered (sic) community, which includes the health care providers who render care and support,” she concluded. “This office will vigorously investigate and prosecute individuals who engaged in hate crimes, including threats. …[W]e will scour the country to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people in Massachusetts. Hate has no place here.”
If convicted on the single charge, Lindner could face up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Doctors and staff at Boston Children’s Hospital received several violent threats, both via phone and online, over the summer due to misinformation about the medical treatments they prescribe for transgender youth suffering from gender dysphoria. The disinformation was rooted in a video circulating online showing a doctor describing a hysterectomy, but the doctor never said outright or implied that minors would be able to submit to such a procedure, as Metro Weekly previously reported.
Boston Children’s Hospital ultimately received three separate bomb threats, at least two of which were related to the hospital’s provision of gender-affirming treatments for transgender children. The third appears to have been conducted by a person who made hoax bomb threats to several institutions throughout Boston, and does not appear to be related to transgender “panic.” In all three cases, the hospital was evacuated and searched, but no incendiary devices were found. A Massachusetts woman and a Canadian man have been arrested and charged with making two of the bomb threats.
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