The American “sexual freedom” revolution began in the 1960s and built-up steam through the 1970s. Although it should have been foreseen, this new “freedom” led to many unintended and undesirable consequences. These consequences included unwanted pregnancies, the spread of STDs, and broken marriages. One of the worse results was that it led many men to regard women as no more than objects to fulfill their sexual desires. Not that this is new for humanity, but it became mainstream in America as we started to see a sharp rise in the pornography business and the use of women to create seductive advertisement to sell everything from cigarettes to hamburgers to airline tickets.
The sexual revolution also produced an unexpected threat to law enforcement and the public at large. These unlikely adversaries are called incels. Incel is short for “involuntarily celibate.” They are men who disdain women because of their own personal frustrations of being ignored or shunned by women and have trouble cultivating romantic relationships. Incels say they are celibate because women don’t like them, hence they blame “Chads” and “Stacys” for their problems. A Chad or Stacy is the name incels give to men and women who are promiscuous and flaunt their romantic conquests. In recent years, these incels have turned violent.
I was surprised to learn that several mass shootings were the work of incels lashing out at society. A report in Police1.com, cites six mass shootings linked to incels. The first occurred in 2014 at Isla Vista, California, where a 22-year-old male killed six and injured 14 others. In his manifesto, he wrote, “I’ve been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection, and unfulfilled desires all because girls have never been attracted to me…. One day incels will realize their true strength and numbers, and will overthrow this oppressive feminist system. Start envisioning a world where WOMEN FEAR YOU.”[1]
Over the next several years, many mass shooters referred to the Isla Vista murderer and held him up as their model. This included the 26-year-old murderer in an Oregon Community College who killed nine and wounded eight others, the New Mexico high school murderer who killed two, and the Parkland, FL high school killer who killed 17 and wounded 17 others. Several other mass murderers didn’t mention the Isla Vista murderer but referenced incel ideology in their manifestos or social media posts.
In early summer of 2026, police in Montreal, Canada, responded to a downtown hotel for a man pointing a gun at people from an upstairs window. When the officers arrived, the gunman fired multiple shots at citizens and the responding law enforcement officers (LEOs). The LEOs returned fire, killing the suspect. However, before being killed, the suspect fatally wounded a citizen and one officer.[2] Police report that the attack was targeted at LEOs and are working through a 104-page manifesto penned by the murderer that contains incel ideology.[3]
“Sexual freedom” brought us much more than we bargained for.
Bringing Hope to Law Enforcement
The SBLF—at no cost to officers or their agencies—brings hope to LEOs with training seminars that help them navigate a myriad of issues they deal with. One way we do this is by training chaplains. The “Victory in Trauma” seminar examines post-traumatic stress from a healthy worldview perspective briefly defining Post Traumatic Stress, without the Disorder. The goal is to untangle the underlying cause to get at the source of emotional stress officers experience from traumatic events and to discuss why most officers who are exposed to traumatic events don’t get PTSD. Please partner with us to make strong officers with strong relationships by giving them real hope for complete victory! To help, go to TheStrongBlueLine.org and click the “Donate” button.
On the Road
This month, I’m in San Antonio where I was invited to speak at the Chief’s Prayer Circle. Next month, Sherry and I will be heading to Calder, ID for a leadership summit hosted by Mission First Alliance.
Pray for your police.
[1] https://www.police1.com/mass-casualty/articles/the-violent-fringe-of-the-incel-movement-M2E5rlB5BYTDesoL/
[2] https://www.police1.com/officer-down/montreal-police-officer-bystander-suspect-killed-in-shooting
[3] Information gather through grok.com
