By: Ellie Simmers | Assistant Editor
On Wednesday, Aug. 28, a shooter opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, taking the lives of two children, Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, and injuring 18 others.
Harper, who was only 10 years old, was described by her parents as bright, joyful and the best older sister. Fletcher, who was 8, loved fishing, cooking and spending time with his family and friends.
In a country that has more guns than it does citizens, it is no surprise that there have been more mass shootings than days this year.
I will never understand how anyone can side with guns over innocent lives.
What I find most troubling is that, after this tragedy, the shooter’s gender identity has become the topic of discussion, while the gun industry and the systems that enable these acts of violence remain unchallenged.
I will not name the shooter, to deny them the notoriety they sought.
What matters here is not the gender identity of the shooter, but the victims themselves who were still in elementary school.
In response to the shooting, Matt Walsh, a right-wing commentator for The Daily Wire, posted “When you affirm the perverse fantasies of sick and delusional people — and you do it systematically, at scale — you are creating precisely this kind of catastrophe. It was inevitable,” labeling the violence “trans terrorism.”
But I wonder how Walsh, or other right-wing talking heads such as Charlie Kirk or Ben Shapiro, would react if I applied the same logic to their own demographic.
According to the National Institute of Justice, 97.7% of mass shooters in the U.S. are men, and 52.3% are white.
By their standards, would it be fair to call every white, American man a terrorist?
While far-right weirdos like Kirk and Shapiro are busy “DESTROYING” college liberals in debates, the young victims of these mass shootings are reduced to pawns in a culture war that divides the country even further and prevents any meaningful change from taking place.
Meanwhile, trans people across the country, and even here locally, continue to be victims of transphobia and oppression.
On Aug. 18, Kasi Rhea, a 31-year-old Black trans woman, was murdered on Rivermont Avenue, only a five minute drive from campus.
According to police, she died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, and a suspect has since been charged with first-degree murder.
Yet as local outlets, such as WSET, report on her death, they continue to deadname and misgender her.
That omission is not a minor detail; it is a second act of violence.
Even in death, Kasi has been denied the dignity of her name.
Kasi Rhea was a beloved and talented hair stylist and a proud woman of faith, whose death will leave a void in the hearts of everyone who loved her.
Black trans women are disproportionately affected by fatal violence in the United States.
Despite making up a small portion of the trans population, their deaths account for roughly 50% of all trans homicide victims.
These numbers reflect a systemic problem of racism, transphobia and gender-based violence that put Black trans women at far greater risk than most other groups.
When trans people are perpetrators of violence, their gender identity is weaponized. When they are victims, it is erased.
The media continues to fail trans communities: vilified in violence, invisible in victimhood.
The media, policymakers and communities shape public perception and influence which lives are valued.
If narratives of fear and erasure dominate, we normalize the treatment of trans people as threats rather than neighbors, as problems rather than people.
We must choose empathy, accuracy, and accountability. We must honor those lost, whether children in Minneapolis or trans women like Kasi Rhea, by telling the truth about who they were and demanding systemic change that protects all vulnerable communities.
Trans people are not the villains; the systems that choose guns over people are.
Powerful article, Ellie! And absolutely crucial. Thank you for writing this.