Many are outraged by the cold-blooded murder of prominent right-wing figure Charlie Kirk, but it’s important not to forget that he was a vocal vilifier of the LGBTQ+ community. Tragically, his assassination is now also being further weaponised against queer people.
On 10 September 2025, the 31-year-old Christian nationalist author, political commentator, media personality and ally of President Donald Trump — was fatally shot in the neck during a public event at Utah Valley University.
Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson soon afterwards in connection with the shooting, but he reportedly has not cooperated with the authorities.
Kirk’s assassination was condemned across the political spectrum as an unacceptable act of political violence. However, right-wing politicians and commentators have attempted to portray Kirk as a martyr and hero, claiming that leftist views and so-called “transgender ideology” inspired the shooter. Some have also attempted to sanitise Kirk’s often divisive, dangerous and bigoted views.
But there’s no getting away from the fact that Kirk frequently espoused conspiracy theories and climate change denialism, alongside remarks widely criticised as racist, sexist and xenophobic. He also regularly attacked LGBTQ+ people, their identities and their rights.
What Charlie Kirk Said About Queer People
He claimed the “transgender movement” aimed to replace humans with machines.
In 2022, Kirk said: “The transgender movement is an introductory phase to get you to strip yourself of your humanity to mesh with machine. It’s called transhumanism. They want you to say ‘Okay, well, I can choose any gender, why can’t I just have like an exoskeleton of some sort of machine around me?’”
Appeared to support violence against trans people.
In 2023, he said that men in America should have dealt with transgender women competing in women’s sports the way that African Americans were lynched in the past, saying that “someone should have took care of it the way we used to take care of things in the 1950s or 60s…”
Called gender-affirming care “child mutilation”.
In a 2023 social media post, he described gender-affirming care as “child mutilation” and claimed being trans was “a mental delusion.”
Expressed support for stoning gay people.
In June 2024, during Pride Month, Kirk said homosexuality is “a sin” and cited Leviticus — the scripture often cited to justify stoning gay people — as affirming “God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.” He also compared being gay to being an alcoholic or drug addict.
Called trans people “delusional” and a “social contagion”.
In March 2025, when asked if he would support one of his children if they came out as trans, Kirk replied: “I don’t affirm delusions.” He went on to describe being trans as a “social contagion” affecting “young ladies who are on the autism spectrum that are most times having puberty anxiety.”
Falsely linked trans people to mass shootings.
Kirk perpetuated the bizarre right-wing conspiracy theory linking trans people to mass shootings. Commenting on reports that Robin Westman, allegedly behind the August 2025 Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, was trans, he wrote on X: “The evil perpetrated on young people by the trans medical industry is something future generations will look upon with horror.”
Weaponising Kirk’s Murder
Kirk’s own killing is being used to fuel further attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, especially transgender people. Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer James Cox, has claimed that alleged killer Tyler Robinson was in a relationship with a person “transitioning from male to female.”
Although Cox added that this individual had been “incredibly cooperative” and “had no idea that this [the shooting] was happening,” right-wing commentators have continued to inflame rhetoric and hate against trans people on social media platforms that could easily boil over into more violence.
Kirk’s murder, however horrific, cannot be allowed to erase or diminish the harm caused by his rhetoric. Let’s be clear; there is no conflict in both condemning the act of violence that took his life as well as the hateful and damaging ideologies he championed.
One Response
Your “facts” are very skewed. Let’s talk about Kirk’s killer associated with trans roommate-Cathoic church school shooter= trans, Nashville shooter= trans, should I go on? DC crime stats whistle-blower statistics are lies, nationwide stats are voluntary so the crime stats do not include some states. So don’t write your article with opinion not facts. And please write with FULL comments not parsed comments.