Trans Solidarity Project

Category: Opinion

Personal essays, commentary, and analysis on issues impacting transgender communities. These articles provide perspective on politics, identity, media narratives, social justice, and lived experiences while encouraging thoughtful discussion and advocacy.

  • The Hidden Crisis: Eating Disorders in Transgender Communities

    The Hidden Crisis: Eating Disorders in Transgender Communities

    Gender-diverse individuals are disproportionately affected by disordered eating habits. Research estimates that 12% of transgender people have been diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point.

    There are a LOT of stereotypes about eating disorders, and current psych culture is only beginning to move past those stereotypes. While we are beginning to understand how people of color, men, and other overlooked populations are affected by disordered eating, transgender identity is still invisible.

    Gender-affirming care and strong social support are the strongest protective factors in preventing eating disorders amongst transgender people. Affirming care has been proven to be the most effective and ethical way to interact with transgender patients, although that does not mean all providers are equal.

    Table of Contents

    Content Warning

    This article discusses eating disorders, medical discrimination, and personal experiences of family rejection.

    Crisis Resources:

    If you or someone you love is struggling with disordered eating, remember that support is always available.

    US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    Trans Lifeline

    The Trevor Project

    National Alliance for Eating Disorders

    National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

    If you reside outside of the United States, contact your local crisis hotline for immediate help.

    The Statistics: What the Research Shows

    Studies report that 12% of transgender people have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Still, researchers estimate that the percentage is even higher since 30% to 50% of individuals screened positive for ED symptoms despite never being diagnosed. 

    In the general population, 9% of individuals report having been diagnosed with an eating disorder at least once in their lifetime, and 16% flagging positive during screening.

    Results revealed that TGD individuals were more likely to exhibit elevated levels of EDs, DE, and BIC compared to cisgender individuals. Fewer differences in EDs, DE, and BIC between TGD groups emerged, although transgender men/transmasculine people had higher levels of restriction (vs. non-binary and gender diverse people) and compensatory behaviours (vs. transgender women/transfeminine people). Binary transgender people reported higher BIC than non-binary/gender diverse people.

    Doley et al., Exploring the differences in body image concerns and eating disorder symptoms between cisgender and transgender individuals: A meta-analysis

    Researchers are well aware that eating disorders affect all types of people, and folks with marginalized identities are exceptionally more likely to exhibit symptoms. That doesn’t equate to diagnoses, though.

    Diagnosis requires being vulnerable for treatment and finding a healthcare professional well-versed in disordered eating – and hopefully other issues, too, like gender identity.

    What is Disordered Eating?

    Understanding disordered eating is the core of understanding eating disorders and discussing who exactly is affected by them.

    For decades, eating disorders were described as white female conditions tied to excessive food restriction or vomiting. It wasn’t until recently that researchers broadened the understanding of “purging” also to include excessive exercise, which is a type of food restriction common in men. 

    Diet and exercise can be great things, but they can also morph into disorders when combined with too much stress. Eating becomes disordered when:

    • You experience obsessive or intrusive thoughts about food, eating, and weight that interfere with daily life, such as dieting, calorie counting, body checking, micro-biting, compulsive exercise, and avoiding food-based social outings.
    • You struggle to eat in front of others or in public.
    • You develop rituals or rules around eating, such as eating foods in a certain order, cutting food into small pieces, purposely making food less appetizing, and avoiding certain foods entirely.
    • You have body dissatisfaction that interferes with daily life and your ability to enjoy life.
    • You frequently experiment with diets and eliminating food groups, such as believing “all carbs are bad.”
    • You use exercise or purge behaviors as an antidote or “reward” for eating.

    Barriers to Diagnosis and Treatment for Transgender Patients

    Getting treatment for eating disorders can be a rough process, even if you’re willing. Healthcare providers are likely to overlook disordered eating habits and symptoms as part of broader gender dysphoria.

    Ideally, treatment settings should be affirming and support one’s gender identity while receiving care. In general healthcare settings, 50% of transgender people reported needing to educate their own provider about transgender health.

    Albeit limited, studies show that almost all transgender individuals receiving eating disorder treatment experienced misgendering, discrimination, and non-affirming care.

    Multiple participants described barriers to affordable care… Other participants described difficulties finding providers who could provide holistic care, as well as a paucity of mental health providers.

    Cultural responsiveness was also discussed as a barrier, with one participant raising concern that research and treatment have been primarily focused on white patients with economic means.

    Other less frequently mentioned barriers included the lack of access to TGD specific ED groups as well as weight requirements for certain types of gender affirming surgeries resulting in the perception of physicians as gatekeepers for care.

    Hartman-Munick et al., Eating disorder screening and treatment experiences in transgender and gender diverse young adults

    Gender Dysphoria vs. Body Dysmorphia: Understanding the Difference

    Gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia are distinct conditions, but they can co-exist. Gender dysphoria is distress induced from a mismatch between one’s assigned or assumed gender and internal identity. Body dysmorphia is an anxiety-based disorder that causes obsession over one’s perceived physical flaws.

    At its core, gender dysphoria is all about one’s internal gender identity and the distress that comes from misalignment – which is why gender-affirming care is so effective at treating that distress compared to previous conversion techniques. Body dysmorphia occurs when someone has a distorted perception of themselves as ugly or defective, but has no connection to gender identity.

    Why are Transgender People at Higher Risk for Eating Disorders?

    Acceptance is perhaps the strongest protective factor against eating disorders in LGBTQIA+ people. In unaccepting environments, disordered eating provides control when transgender individuals may otherwise feel completely helpless.

    I had a rough coming-out experience with my parents. After coming out, I was surveilled constantly so that my parents could ensure I was “trying” to be cisgender for their sake, which included dressing femininely, not talking to accepting friends, and being barred from online spaces. From religious sermons to moral condemnations, I heard every potentially awful thing one fears when coming out over that year and a half before moving out.

    At the time, I felt I could not control any meaningful aspect of my person. I was no longer allowed to use my GC2B binder, I was being forced to grow my hair out, and I was even being forced to wear panties. I constantly walked on eggshells out of fear that the wrong move would create another lecture and outburst.

    Disordered eating provided control over my physical body when I felt I had no other options. I had read somewhere online that food restriction could stop one’s period, and everywhere I looked, thinner bodies were more androgynous. If I weren’t allowed to bind or even consider a future of HRT, maybe I could try passing by losing weight from my chest and hips and working out.

    Every morning, I would eat a half-cup of dry oats with a marginal amount of water – something that was readily available from my mother’s ongoing weight loss journey. 150 calories. Due to my family’s socioeconomic status, I had reduced lunches at school that allowed me the freedom to not eat what I wanted. For most school lunches, I had about 400 calories. After school, I’d purposely skip dinner and tell my parents I had eaten a free meal at work.

    I began jogging more frequently, working out at the gym on my family’s pass, and looked up natural ways to boost testosterone. With my work income, I’d buy supplements from the supermarket like DHEA. I counted every calorie. 

    And I was successful – I managed to stop my period for months at a time, and I felt like I passed more frequently despite how long my hair had gotten. But everything felt obsessive. I vividly remember my AP chem teacher pulling me aside after class out of worry since my grade was slipping, but deflecting because any admission meant a possible phone call home, which meant another lecture. On my worst days, I didn’t eat out as a punishment to myself for being a bad kid to my parents because I genuinely believed I was corrupt.

    After leaving home and starting transition, my disordered eating and self-harm habits stopped. However, a few years later, I had a falling out with a friend that left me completely isolated, and I began utilizing old habits and a spiritual downward spiral. I managed to pull myself back out with a new understanding of my boundaries and habits. Even today, it’s something I’m mindful of.

    Transgender people are more likely to engage in disordered eating because they lack control over their physical and emotional boundaries. Additionally, eating disorders effectively limit and stunt secondary sex characteristics during puberty when transgender youth are unable to have gender-affirming care. Even amongst transgender adults, mainstream passing culture and transgender celebrities prioritize skinny bodies to reflect a thin beauty standard.

    What Does Gender-Affirming Eating Disorder Treatment Look Like?

    For gender-diverse individuals to get effective treatment for disordered eating, they must have access to quality care. Primary care providers, psychologists, and eating disorder professionals must be committed to understanding transgender identity to foster spaces where transgender folks are safe enough to be vulnerable and heal.

    Due to its history, mental health treatment centers have a long way to go before getting the public’s trust as safe environments. Ideal treatment facilities will have publicly available information for transgender patients to view on chosen name and pronoun usage by staff.

    Body-gender congruence through gender affirming social and medical interventions (e.g., hormone therapy) were noted as significant for alleviating body image problems and facilitating eating disorder treatment.

    Heiden-Rootes et al., A scoping review of research literature on eating and body image for transgender and nonbinary youth.

    Treatment providers must understand gender dysphoria and transition goals to effectively help transgender people with eating disorders. Forcing a transgender person to gain weight they are avoiding to avoid appearing androgynous won’t be effective and cause significant distress. Eating disorder treatment needs to be integrated with gender-affirming care, such as HRT and general mental health services, to be optimal.

    Treating ED[s]…can run directly up against interventions for tgnc [transgender/gender nonconforming] people. So…if you have an ED…you are often encouraged to practice radical body acceptance or do a lot of body meditations/somatic work where you are trying to push yourself to be in your body. While this works for many cis people, this is sort of the exact opposite of what works for tgnc people, allowing us to make choices about our body changes and helping us live with the dissonance between our bodies and brains.

    Hart-Munick et al., Eating disorder screening and treatment experiences in transgender and gender diverse young adults

    Reframing Recovery: Why Body Neutrality Comes Before Body Positivity

    We exist in an age where body positivity is highlighted. Contrary to what most might think, body positivity isn’t effective for helping those struggling with disordered eating. Forced positivity and mantras can help some folks, but there is a wide gap between their current reality and a potential future that seems feasible.

    Body neutrality is critical to move people from distortion. You aren’t going to love your body suddenly after a few weeks of treatment. But you can see your body… as a body. Focus on how well it does from a purely functional standpoint on keeping you awake and alert. Separate thoughts of worth (both negative and positive) from appearance.

    Eating disorder recovery doesn’t require you to love your body. The goal is to be functional.

    How to Support a Transgender Loved One Struggling with Disordered Eating

    It is distressing to see someone you love struggle with an eating disorder. As much as you love them, you alone won’t be able to fix them. Here are some practical tips for helping a transgender loved one with disordered eating:

    • Express your concern appropriately. If you have identified potential warning signs, have a delicate conversation in a private setting where they won’t feel embarrassed or defensive.
    • Avoid commenting on weight and body changes in everyday conversation, both positive and negative. 
    • Validate the frustration and distress of gender dysphoria, but don’t reinforce harmful behaviors.
    • Don’t moralize food, like equating sweets or carbs as inherently bad.
    • Recognize that it’s difficult to get help for disordered eating. Eating disorders provide a false sense of control and identity, so giving that up for treatment can be terrifying.
    • Encourage and connect them with affirming professional care. Support their commitment to recovery and offer to accompany them to appointments if they’re especially anxious.

    You are never alone. Even if transgender identities are largely invisible in current eating disorder treatment approaches, there is always help available, and you are worth fighting for.

    Looking for more educational guides?

    Browse Trans Solidarity Project’s guides, or check out these posts:

    References, Resources, & Further Reading

    American Academy of Pediatrics. (n.d.). Policy statements and resources on transgender and gender-diverse youth. https://www.aap.org

    American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. (n.d.). About ANAD. https://anad.org

    Doley, J. R., et al. (2026). Exploring the differences in body image concerns and eating disorder symptoms between cisgender and transgender individuals: A meta-analysis.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41494283/

    Hartman-Munick, S. M., et al. (2020). Eating disorder screening and treatment experiences in transgender and gender diverse young adults. Journal of Eating Disorders. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471015321000441

    Heiden-Rootes, K., et al. (2023). A scoping review of research literature on eating and body image for transgender and nonbinary youth. Journal of Eating Disorders. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37740228/

    Maintenance Phase. (n.d.). Maintenance Phase [Audio podcast]. https://www.maintenancephase.com

    National Eating Disorders Association. (n.d.). About NEDA. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

    Taylor, S. R. (2018). The body is not an apology: The power of radical self-love. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

    The Trevor Project. (n.d.). Research and crisis services. https://www.thetrevorproject.org

    Trans Lifeline. (n.d.). About Trans Lifeline. https://translifeline.org

    Erickson-Schroth, L. (Ed.). (2014). Trans bodies, trans selves: A resource for the transgender community. Oxford University Press.

    World Professional Association for Transgender Health. (2022). Standards of care for the health of transgender and gender diverse people (Version 8). https://www.wpath.org

    Food Psych. (n.d.). Food Psych [Audio podcast]. https://christyharrison.com/foodpsych

  • Understanding the Insurrection Act in a New Era of Escalation

    Understanding the Insurrection Act in a New Era of Escalation

    US citizens have rallied to the streets in outrage after the unlawful murder of Renee Macklin Good by ICE in Minneapolis. With ICE escalating without limitations on its authority, protestors are being further agitated due to the injustice.

    In response, Donald Trump took to social media to threaten the institution of the Insurrection Act to punish citizens who fail to conform.

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    What is the Insurrection Act?

    Formally known as the Insurrection Act of 1807, the Insurrection Act was a federal law signed by President Thomas Jefferson to empower future presidents to deploy the Armed Forces and National Guard to suppress “civil disorder, insurrection, and armed rebellion against the federal government.”

    What power does the Insurrection Act grant?

    Normally, the Posse Comitatus Act forbids the United States military from coordinating with civilian law enforcement. Military interference in civilian government is considered inherently dangerous to liberty.

    The Insurrection Act temporarily suspends the Posse Comitatus Act, allowing the President to deploy the military to assist civil law enforcement. This can be for a variety of reasons, such as the enforcement of federal court orders (such as during desegregation) or suppressing government uprisings.

    The Insurrection Act was created only to be used in crises that are truly beyond the capacity of civilian authorities to manage.

    However, the Act doesn’t limit when it can be used and is still entirely too vague – which is why Trump has leaned into threatening it so much.

    Are there thresholds before the Insurrection Act can be implemented?

    Yes. However, these thresholds aren’t infallible. The Department of Justice 1964 Memorandum identifies three thresholds:

    1. A state legislature or governor must request federal assistance to put down an insurrection against their state.
    2. A federal court must rule that national deployment is necessary to enforce a federal court order.
    3. Federal deployment is necessary and unavoidable due to “state and local law enforcement completely breaking down.”

    Additionally, all uses of the Insurrection Act are not allowed to override the Constitution. Federal deployment of troops is not allowed to violate citizens’ constitutional rights.

    What are historical examples of the Insurrection Act?

    In the beginning, the Insurrection Act was commonly used during the Reconstruction Era after the Third Enforcement Act in 1871 was created to protect Black Americans from attacks by the Ku Klux Klan. A handful of presidents used the Insurrection Act to handle labor conflicts before President Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy invoked the Act during the 20th century to enforce racial desegregation.

    President Bush signed an amendment to the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, which permitted the use of military intervention under the Insurrection Act without state consent. However, all fifty state governors issued a joint statement against it and pushed for its repeal in 2008.

    During his first term, Donald Trump only threatened the use of the Insurrection Act once. Following the murder of George Floyd, Trump stated he would invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests to “re-establish civil law and order.”

    Federal officials eventually talked Trump out of invoking the Act. And although the National Guard was called in response to the January 6th coup, the Insurrection Act wasn’t invoked.

    By Trump’s second term, he had become accustomed to waving the Insurrection Act around. Beginning January 20th, 2025, Trump ordered the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue a joint report determining whether use of the Insurrection Act was advisable regarding the US-Mexico border. Months later, Trump threatened the use of the Insurrection Act against targeted cities like LA, Portland, Chicago, and Memphis in response to protests.

    A handful of reforms to the Insurrection Act have been proposed throughout history. Due to the vague language of the Act, it provides a relatively simple path towards martial law.

    Under normal circumstances, this couldn’t be a possibility since the Insurrection Act would only be used under extreme circumstances – but Trump repeatedly threatens to invoke the Act in response to civilian protests.

    He alone determines what a “crisis” must look like to overrule civil law enforcement to deploy national soldiers, and we have to trust that determination will be just.

  • 2025 Elections Explained: Key Wins and Why It Matters Now

    2025 Elections Explained: Key Wins and Why It Matters Now

    For the majority of Americans, this post-Halloween week was uneventful and insignificant. Yet, for individuals in New York and Virginia, Tuesday was notable; millions of voters submitted ballots after a long first year of a second Trump presidency. These are the key takeaways to consider regarding the 2025 election. 

    Wait, There were 2025 Elections? Understanding Off-Year Elections

    2024 was a presidential election, given monumental importance as the world watched to find out who would be America’s next leader. 2026 will be midterms – the decisive midpoint between presidential elections, when Congress has the opportunity to flip party control. 2025 is neither.

    As an off-year election year, 2025 only had a handful of races. Most elections will occur next year during the midterm cycle; off-year elections are traditionally forgettable since their outcomes affect few people. Despite this, these off-year races proved to be especially important: after a full year of Donald Trump’s second term, it is the first litmus test to predict the 2026 and 2028 elections.

    Regardless of the outcomes, most Americans will see little direct change from the off-year elections unless they live in one of the selected states overseeing a race. Yet, the public is paying attention since 2025’s result will give context for the future of Republicans, Democrats, and third parties.

    For individuals living between states of fear and anxiety due to Donald Trump’s second term, use these key takeaways to inspire hope and faith that life will move forward.

    Zohran Mamdani Becomes NYC Mayor

    Donald Trump has spent months insulting Zohran Mamdani, threatening to illegally arrest and deport him if he successfully won the New York City mayorship. In the midst of Trump’s undemocratic military actions against American cities, Trump has sworn to defund NYC upon Mamdani’s victory.

    Compared to every other race in this election, Mamdani’s was the most visible. In part, Trump’s ire gave Mamdani media attention he may not have otherwise achieved – when the majority of Americans disapprove of Trump, being Trump’s enemy can win voters over. 

    Zohran Mamdani officially ran with the Democratic Party, although he self-identifies with the Democratic Socialists of America. Mamdani’s win proves that Democrats need to shift left rather than continue to push the center.

    The 2024 presidential election was filled with lukewarm Democrats like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi, who could not sway voters exhausted of the status quo. Until now, Democrats have pushed away self-aligned socialists like Bernie Sanders and AOC because they’re “too radical” – but 2025 might be the proof needed to push them into being the working class’s party again.

    Notably, Mamdani will also become New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor. At the time of this article’s publication, Mamdani has achieved 50.4% of the votes – which totals to 1,036,000 votes. He decisively beat the previous New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, who left office in 2021 following numerous sexual misconduct allegations. Cuomo is a traditional Democrat centrist, forced to run Independent when he lost party favor to Mamdani.

    There are two key points regarding Mamdani’s mayoral victory:

    • Firstly, Zohran Mamdani’s ascent to mayor of NYC is a strong step towards a left Democratic Party. Media outlets like NPR, Politico, and Time Magazine are already calling Cuomo’s defeat the end of the previous era due to the signaled lack of support his peers now have amongst the public. New York City voted for a self-identified socialist; America is finally ready for a change that old-school Democrats like Cuomo can’t provide.
    • While Mamdani’s win is overall good, it is worth appreciating that Cuomo managed to achieve 41.6% of the vote as an Independent. Cuomo lacked the backing of either major party, but collected over 800,000 votes across the city. In the American electoral system, near-wins by third-party candidates like Cuomo are virtually impossible.

    Spanberger and Sherrill Lead a Blue Wave for Governorships

    Abigail Spanberger achieved 57.2% of the vote in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, becoming the state’s first female governor. Along with Mamdani’s win in NYC and Mikie Sherrill’s victory for New Jersey governor, Democrats made a clean sweep along the East Coast.

    Most would assume Virginia is a strong conservative state – but Spanberger won with a larger gap than Mamdani and Cuomo. She is set to succeed Glenn Youngkin, the previous Republican governor who is considered a possible contender for the 2028 presidency. Nearly single Virginia county shifted left compared to last year’s elections.

    As mentioned previously, Tuesday was considered the first test for the GOP after the 2024 election. With Democrats winning in key elections, Donald Trump has even admitted that the GOP failed Tuesday. The GOP must reassess strategies to sway voters by the midterms next year; if they continue on their current trajectory, the GOP will lose both Congress during the midterm elections and the next presidency.

    California’s Prop 50: Gerrymandering or Strategic Countermove?

    On the other side of the country, California voters cast ballots regarding Proposition 50. Propositions refer to California referendums or initiatives decided entirely by the direct vote of the public. Prop 50, specifically, centers on the temporary suspension of district maps previously drawn by independent parties to use gerrymandered districts for Democratic favor.

    Californian voters have sided with Prop 50, to the dismay of CA Republicans. It is critical to remember that Prop 50’s redistricting is temporary; it has a set expiration date when districting will return to nonpartisan groups. Voters also signed up for this – unlike other states undergoing redistricting, California voters were allowed to decline Prop 50 in favor of fair voting practices.

    While Republicans bellyache over the undemocratic and unconstitutional nature of gerrymandering, Prop 50 is the direct response to states like Texas, which began redistricting before California at Donald Trump’s request to rig the 2026 election by flipping additional seats towards the GOP. 

    California Republicans have already stated they plan to sue Prop 50 for violating the 14th and 15th Amendments. Yet, in reality, Democrats likely agree with this sentiment and welcome such lawsuits – since those very lawsuits would also tear down the unconstitutional redistricting occurring in conservative states.

    Currently, California is the only Democratic state to propose redistricting. While most voters believe gerrymandering is wrong and undemocratic, the GOP has used party loyalty to blur their values. On its own, California cannot fully counteract Republican redistricting by 2026 – but they don’t necessarily need to. With the 2025 election completed, the rigging by the GOP may not be enough to keep their advantage during midterms.

    Mississippi Election Breaks a 13-Year GOP Supermajority

    The final takeaway from the 2025 off-year elections centers in the Deep South, where Mississippi managed to break a 13-year-long supermajority. 

    Similar to Georgia, Mississippi is assumed to be a strong Republican state where Democrats have zero chance of creating meaningful change. Yet, Georgia surprised the world in 2020 by voting for Joe Biden over Donald Trump – causing a spark of outrage amongst conservatives who cried fake news and voter fraud since it was so unbelievable that Georgia could vote left.

    Mississippi still maintains a conservative majority, but the recent election allowed Democrats to flip three GOP seats. While most bills are passed with a simple majority vote, there are some circumstances that require a two-thirds vote that the Georgia GOP can no longer force without Democrat support. Overall, Americans want change – which should give us faith that we can survive.

    Want to learn more? Check out these sources.

    NPR
    New York Times
    PBS
    CBS

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  • Do Conservatives Actually Deserve Empathy? Kirk, Exposed.

    Do Conservatives Actually Deserve Empathy? Kirk, Exposed.

    In a jarring turn of events, Charlie Kirk is dead. Kirk was shot with a single bullet to the neck at 12:23 PM on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, while engaged in a Q&A at Utah Valley University. Between law enforcement’s delay in presenting evidence, misreporting by the Wall Street Journal, and propaganda-fueled bots, there is an immense amount of misinformation regarding Kirk’s assassination. Beyond the facts, do far-right individuals like Kirk deserve empathy, especially when their agendas actively promote violence against others?

    Kirk: What Happened?

    As a media personality, Charlie Kirk is grouped with similar far-right types such as Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Nick Fuentes, and Steven Crowder. He was a professional grifter, using rage-bait content to increase views – like all conservative personalities, Kirk capitalized on outrage culture since angry viewers boost views regardless of journalism quality or facts.

    Charlie Kirk, as an individual, was not a remarkable person. What did Kirk contribute to the world? Like his peers, Kirk provided nothing meaningful to society and actively worked to make the world a hateful place. But since so many people are persuaded by hate alone, Kirk rose as a prominent voice within MAGA.

    On the 10th, Kirk was in the midst of a very mediocre rally. Like all conservative events, there was hardly any security – as Kirk himself said, “I think [gun casualties are] worth it. It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect other God given rights. That’s a prudent deal. It is rational.”

    A spectator in the crowd asked Kirk about recent comments Kirk had made that transgender people are more likely to commit mass violence than their cisgender peers. Just as that spectator began to point out the flaws in Kirk’s baseless lies, Kirk was shot by a sniper round from a nearby rooftop. The crowd started freaking out, and Utah Valley University’s campus went on lockdown. By 2:40 PM, Kirk had died from his injuries.

    It wasn’t until September 12th that Kirk’s assumed assassin, Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody, coordinated by the FBI and local law enforcement. Everything after that gets… fuzzy.

    Almost immediately, The Wall Street Journal reported on a bulletin released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regarding the bolt-action rifle and ammunition conveniently left in the woods after the shooting. Despite explicit guidance by the Bureau to read the bulletin with caution due to the lack of substantial evidence, the WSJ wrote that Robinson’s bullet casings had engravings of “expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology.” The WSJ has come under fire due to this journalistic negligence, being forced to amend the article when Utah Governor Cox publicly stated the casings made zero mention of “transgender ideology.” One of the casings does make mention of fascism, but more on that later.

    Conservative conspiracy theorists have been pushing their latest favorite narrative: transgender people are mentally unstable, emotionally dysregulated, and present an unprecedented risk to violence. This narrative was largely disregarded until last month when transgender woman Robin Westman committed a shooting in a Minneapolis Catholic school, which the Trump administration has used to consider an illegal ban to bar all transgender people from owning firearms.

    Kirk himself had been a fan of the theory – this conversation was essentially his final words before Robinson fired. Kirk and conservative personalities don’t care about reality, purposely ignoring established research that proves cisgender men exactly like Kirk make up the overwhelming majority of mass shooters compared to the fraction of a percent that transgender people have committed.

    Tyler Robinson is NOT transgender. He is a straight cisgender male who grew up in a very traditional, conservative family. It is currently believed that Robinson’s partner IS transgender, but they had zero part in Robinson’s crime and were horrified by Robinson’s actions. …And even if they hadn’t, who cares, and why does it matter? Everyone knows a transgender person (whether you’re aware of it or not), but it doesn’t make you more likely to be a murderer.

    Currently, mainstream media is hyperfixated on whether Tyler Robinson was an ANTIFA leftist. He wasn’t, and the media’s inability to understand that is part of the problem.

    The reason mainstream media is so befuddled by Robinson is that the bullet casings, notes, and online presence he’s left look anti-fascist and left on the surface. Some of the bullet engravings included statements like:

    • *Notices bulges* OwO What’s this? (This is actually the bullet that shot and killed Kirk.)
    • Hey fascist! Catch this! ↑ → ↓ ↓ ↓ (Game maneuver used in Helldivers 2, a multiplayer shooter with its own problematic fanbase.)
    • Oh Bella, ciao, bella, ciao Bella ciao ciao ciao. (An Italian anti-fascist song that has been co-opted by the alt-right.)
    • If you read this, you are gay LMAO.

    Traditional journalists who have reported thus far lack deep knowledge of the internet and its subcultures. Tyler Robinson was not a leftist, liberal, nor an ANTIFA. He was a groyper.

    Groypers are most noted by their use of “ironic meme culture.” Pepe the Frog, toxic gaming culture, and using racial slurs for “comedic shock value” – groypers encapsulate everything terrible about middle school boys before they grow a conscience. At some point Robinson was a huge Nick Fuente fan. But groypers are conservative. They are exceedingly far right and use meme culture to disguise their values, similar to how the KKK did (they called their leaders “imperial wizards” and “exalted cyclops”). And groypers intentionally use anti-fascist and leftist slogans to confuse onlookers.

    A select few media outlets are covering this reality, but it’s not the common story being told.

    US Representative Nancy Mace immediately after reading the WSJ’s comments about Kirk’s killer allegedly being transgender.
    And a few days later when Mace found out Robinson was, in fact, not transgender.

    Instead, Trump and his allies hope to use mass confusion to tighten their grip on a crumbling democracy. Matt Forney, in response to Kirk’s assassination, called it America’s “Reichstag moment.” For readers unaware of the Reichstag, it’s attributed as the crucial moment when the Nazi Party took control of Germany by utilizing the recent crisis to their advantage.  Every American, regardless of political affiliation, has an opinion on Charlie Kirk’s murder – but conservatives are outraged that the American left lacks empathy, some of whom are even celebrating Kirk’s demise. Workers of various fields have been fired for anti-Kirk statements, and tourists have been denied entry into the United States for expressing negative views of Kirk.

    Do Fascists Deserve Empathy?

    Short answer, no.

    The long answer is that conservatives have created an empathy paradox. Conservatives condemn liberals, leftists, and anyone else who fails to offer heartfelt condolences to Kirk, but Kirk and his peers are empathy black holes. Kirk regularly advocated for violence against minorities, especially transgender people. Conservatives weaponize the ideas behind empathy to throw in our faces, trying to paint themselves as more humane, kind, and righteous than leftists. After all, if the left is supposed to embody human rights, social justice, and solidarity, isn’t it hypocritical for us to celebrate any human’s death?

    Extending empathy for those who cause great harm to others is not a rational or ethical choice. Honestly, Republicans today make me think they would condemn a Jewish person in 1945 for celebrating the death of Adolf Hitler. Terrible people who deny the humanity of others do not deserve empathy.

    Kirk’s death is hardly the first time that conservatives have pulled this charade. The same song and dance was performed when Americans failed to feel sorry for Trump’s so-called assassination attempt. At the same time, conservatives were publicly gleeful when someone broke into Nancy Pelosi’s home to batter her husband; they’ve expressed adoration of actual mass murderers like Kyle Rittenhouse; and mere months ago, conservatives were ecstatic about the idea of Latinos being fed to wild alligators at their latest detention center. In response to others lacking sympathy for Kirk, conservatives send death threats and hateful rhetoric.

    As a general rule, American conservatives are unable to recognize their own hypocrisy. They aren’t able to look past their own noses – I currently work in social services, and the overwhelming majority of individuals I see are hard Trump followers and express disgust at welfare, minorities, or anything akin to a “handout.” They lack the capacity to realize they’re using welfare services that only exist because of liberals and leftists.

    One answer for why conservatives act this way is their latest “empathy is a sin” ideology, which was pushed by JD Vance and Elon Musk. Everything about the Republican Party goes against human nature to be kind and contradicts the New Testament’s fundamental teachings by Jesus to be compassionate. They don’t want to be compassionate or Christians; American conservatives want to be Spanish Crusaders under the delusional guise of religion – they want blood, not God.

    Equating leftist ideals (ex. universal healthcare, affordable housing, no hate crimes, etc.) to conservative ideals (ex. race-based detainment, death penalties, corporate tax cuts, etc.) is misleading. In a previous article, I wrote how “moderate” isn’t always better: not too long ago, one extreme advocated for race-based lynching while the other wanted integration, equal civil rights, and the capacity to live freely. Only one of those is humane.

    There is a separate conversation about having grief for those around Kirk. Yes, he was a father, a son, a “someone” to people. The majority of unempathetic leftists lack empathy for Kirk directly, not his wife or children.

    Conservatives like Charlie Kirk campaign for the deaths and torment of those unlike them. Kirk and his followers advocate for a world where gender-affirming care is entirely impossible and gender-diverse individuals are imprisoned or killed. A world where young girls are forced to carry the babies of their abusers, regardless of whether they can physically, emotionally, or financially survive. A world where queer people are stoned for expressing same-sex attraction. A world where the disabled are murdered for the simple act of living, a world where only “pure-blooded” white Americans live contentedly and undeveloped countries with people of color are left to be exploited. We are already expected to be civil with those who do us harm. We lack empathy for Charlie Kirk and those like him because his agenda lacks empathy for us. 

    Refusing to hold empathy for a powerful figure like Kirk is not cruelty; it’s a refusal to normalize his harm. Charlie Kirk was a terrible person and will be forgotten one day as the hateful person he was.

    Do conservatives and the far right deserve empathy? People have the right to offer and withhold empathy, BUT expecting empathy for those who built careers on hatred and denying empathy to others is hypocritical and manipulative. Empathy is not a shield that protects oppressive ideologies from critique. Empathy centers on those most harmed, not those who caused harm.

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