After the shooter who opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 17 others, was identified as a transgender woman, LGBTQ+ organizations are warning against anti-transgender scapegoating and advocating for gun reform.
On Aug. 27, 23-year-old Robin Westman began shooting inside Annunciation Catholic Church during morning mass. She killed two children, ages eight and 10, and injured 14 children and three elderly parishioners. Police confirmed Westman legally purchased the three weapons used in the attack and had no prior criminal history, according to the Washington Blade. Westman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On a YouTube channel under Westman’s name, videos were posted showing off weapons and magazines, some inscribed with phrases like “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children,” and a notebook containing antisemitic sentiments and admiration for mass shooters.
March for Our Lives co-founder and executive director Jackie Corin said in a statement that the tragedy – the 339th mass shooting in the U.S. in 2025 alone – is part of the “cycle” of violence perpetuated without reform.
“No parent should fear sending their child to school. No child should pray for safety in a church,” Corin said. “Leaders who let the gun lobby dictate policy have blood on their hands. We know what it takes to stop this: stronger gun laws, accountability for the industry that profits from our pain, and the political courage to act. We started March For Our Lives because we never wanted another generation to feel this grief. Yet here we are again. Until our leaders choose children over guns, the cycle will continue. And we refuse to let them look away.”
Because of the shooter’s gender identity, right-wing legislators have used the incident to insist on the mental unwellness of the community and advocate for anti-transgender legislation.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X that “if [trans people] are willing to destroy themselves and how God made them then they are willing to destroy others and we saw that happen today” and urged Congress to pass a bill making it a felony to provide gender-affirming health care to minors.
Brandon Wolf, the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement that this kind of anti-trans scapegoating is “dangerous.”
“While we still don’t know all the facts about what happened in Minneapolis, we must be clear on one key element: to scapegoat an entire marginalized community in a moment of such intense national grief is wrong, dangerous, and dehumanizing,” Wolf said. “What is undeniable is that this tragedy is part of a devastating and preventable epidemic of gun violence. Enough is enough.”
Jessica Douglas, the Development and Communications Manager of Georgia Equality, echoed this sentiment, telling Georgia Voice that the organization condemned the use of the tragedy to divide religious people and the LGBTQ+ community.
“We recognize that some may use this story to attempt to divide faith communities and the transgender community, but we know that both of those communities are vital parts of our larger LGBTQ+ community,” Douglas said. “We condemn any attempt to divide us and to scapegoat the transgender community for political gain.”
Advocates for the transgender community have long advocated for gun reform; last year, 32 transgender people were murdered, and 63 percent of victims were killed with a gun.
Related stories:
• Three CDC leaders walk out over RFK, Jr. policies
• Mayor’s office says Midtown rainbow crosswalk is safe following Orlando removal
