1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing in the wake of the tragic shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis to call on you to show support for the transgender community and to condemn efforts to weaponize this tragedy to attack an already marginalized population. Every life lost to gun violence is a tragedy that demands our collective grief, compassion, and resolve to prevent further bloodshed. What it does not demand is scapegoating. Attempts to use dead children as a political weapon against the transgender community are cruel and dishonest. Transgender people make up about one percent of the population, yet they are relentlessly blamed for the failings of our society. This blame does nothing to prevent future tragedies. It only spreads more hatred, stigma, and division. The focus after an event like this must be on addressing the root causes of violence, on implementing real solutions for public safety, and on caring for the families who are suffering. To shift the blame onto transgender people is to ignore the real issues and to turn mourning into another opportunity for political persecution. Especially as a transgender and nonbinary person myself, who mourns for the children who will never grow up and have lost their future forever, it leaves me feeling bleak to see such an atrocity be weaponized to further infringe on the rights of people like me. It take attention away from the victims, or the need for overdue gun reforms, and encourages more bullying, more alienation, more isolation, and (potentially) more violence. Enough is enough. I urge you to stand publicly with the transgender community during this time, and to denounce the rhetoric that paints us as scapegoats for tragedies we did not cause. We need leaders who will push back against hate and ensure that marginalized communities are not turned into targets whenever fear and grief run high. Please use your platform to affirm dignity, compassion, and truth. Do not let the voices of cruelty and opportunism dominate the national response to this tragedy.