South African artist The Kiffness has added fuel to dangerous right-wing hysteria about a disproportionate surge in transgender people perpetrating mass shootings in the United States.
The artist, real name David Scott, reacted on X to a post by public interest lawyer Richard Spoor. Spoor mocked attempts by conservatives to connect “transgender ideology” to the recent assassination of Christian nationalist and right wing figure Charlie Kirk by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Some early reports incorrectly claimed that Robinson was transgender. Subsequent reporting has suggested that Robinson may have been romantically involved with a roommate who was “transitioning from male to female” (who is said to be fully cooperating with authorities).
Despite the motive behind Kirk’s assassination still being unknown, right-wing figures have sought to exploit the incident to push the false narrative that transgender people are driving mass shootings in the United States.
The Kiffness’ Dangerous Comment
Responding to Spoor’s post, The Kifness wrote on X:
“Tyler Robinson’s partner is trans. Charlie Kirk was talking about how there are too many trans shooters just before he got shot. That is all you need to know. Anything else the media tries to sell you is a lie.”
His statement not only peddles right-wing suspicions about legacy media but implicitly bolsters the outright lie that “there are too many trans shooters”.
He soon after also claimed that he had lost a R500,000 campaign “because I defended Charlie Kirk,” adding, “Worth it to be honest.”
A Broader Pattern of Scapegoating
The false notion of a “trans terrorist epidemic” has been promoted by other prominent figures, including South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Donald Trump Jr has similarly falsely claimed, without any evidence, that: “Per capita violent trans extremists have… become the most violent group of people anywhere in the world.”
Of course, some transgender people, like many others, are capable of violence, as in the case of Robin Westman, the alleged perpetrator of the August 2025 Minneapolis Catholic school shooting. (Although there is no indication that Westman’s gender identity played any role in the attack.)
The Reality: No Evidence of Rising Trans Violence
The facts tell a very different story. According to Gun Violence Archive, transgender people are responsible for just 0.17% of reported mass shootings in the US – proportionally less than their estimated share of the population (between 0.5% and 1.6%).
The truth is that the overwhelming majority of mass shootings are committed by cisgender men.
Moreover, despite making up less than 2% of the US adult population, transgender people are four times more likely to be victims of crime.
A Dangerous Culture War
This growing scapegoating of transgender people in America’s divisive culture wars is deeply dangerous.
By spreading fear and misinformation, political and cultural figures are attempting to blame a marginalised minority for society’s problems – a centuries-old tactic of sowing panic and mistrust of “the other” to grow radical political support.
Such rhetoric not only distorts reality but also places transgender lives at even greater risk, pushing an already vulnerable community further into the margins.
