A trans member of the National Guard has spoken out after being falsely accused on social media of piloting the Black Hawk helicopter involved in a fatal collision with a passenger jet in Washington. The crash, which occurred on Wednesday, claimed 67 lives.
Jo Ellis, a UH60 Black Hawk pilot for the Virginia Army National Guard, took to Facebook on Friday to address the misinformation. “Some craziness has happened on the internet, and I’m being named as one of the pilots of the DC crash,” Ellis wrote. “It’s insulting to the victims and families of those lost—they deserve better than this BS from the bots and trolls of the internet.”
Misinformation about Ellis spread widely on social media, with some users linking her gender identity to the crash. One now-deleted post falsely accused Ellis of having “radicalized anti-Trump statements on socials,” while another post with over 195,000 views amplified the baseless claim. Despite multiple corrections, far-right accounts continued to spread falsehoods and hate speech.
The accusations surfaced shortly before Ellis’ scheduled appearance on CNN’s “The Smerconish Podcast,” where she discussed her military service and experiences with gender dysphoria. In an essay for Smerconish’s newsletter, Ellis also detailed her journey of transitioning while serving.
The false allegations against Ellis coincided with renewed attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including from former President Donald Trump. In a press conference, Trump baselessly linked the crash to DEI policies, despite offering no supporting evidence. His administration has reinstated a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, reversing policies set by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Misinformation blaming DEI for disasters has been a recurring theme in right-wing rhetoric. Figures such as Elon Musk and Rep. Dan Meuser have previously attributed various tragedies, including wildfires and infrastructure failures, to diversity-focused hiring policies, despite lacking substantiated evidence.
Ellis, undeterred by the attacks, reaffirmed her commitment to service and truth, emphasizing that false accusations only distract from the real tragedy and the families mourning their loss.
