The murder-suicide at a
Rhode Island hockey rink on Monday is just the latest in a recent string
of murders allegedly carried out by self-identifying transgender
perpetrators or by those seemingly inspired by transgender ideology.
Robert Dorgan — who police say
shot and killed his ex-wife and one of their sons during a high school
hockey game this week — had previously insisted he believed he was
actually a transgender woman despite being a man. A local TV station
said that "An unnamed woman, who identified herself as Dorgan's
daughter, has since come forward, telling WCVB that her father 'has
mental health issues.'"
"He shot my family and he's dead now," she reportedly said. Dorgan, who killed himself after the murders on Monday, had also expressed pro-Nazi sentiments, and according to The New York Post, was adorned with "vile neo-Nazi tattoos."
He is only the most recent example of high-profile attacks
linked to transgender perpetrators or transgender ideology, including mass shootings at Christian schools, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and the attempted assassination
of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Although legacy media
seemingly ignored the statistical anomaly, independent journalists and
their lawyers have fought to unseal documents related to such cases.
A dangerous cocktail of guns, gender dysphoria, mental illness and trans-ideology
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project argued
in September 2025 — shortly after the assassination of beloved
conservative pundit and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk by a
"trans" identifying person — that “Transgender Ideology-Inspired
Violence and Extremism” is a “threat” which “encompasses the potentially
unlawful use or threat of force or violence, including incitement to
unlawful violence, in furtherance of ideological agendas derived from
Transgender Ideology.”
The Oversight Project contended that “the assassination of
Charlie Kirk has shaken the nation. It is the latest example of a
perpetrator brainwashed by a corrosive and disjointed transgender
ideology to carry out horrific acts of violence against innocent
Americans.”
“The Oversight Project and the Heritage Foundation urge
the FBI to designate ‘Trans Ideology-Inspired Violent Extremism’ as a
Domestic Terrorism threat category and use the full toolkit of the FBI
to prevent future attacks inspired by this ideology,” the group said.
Shooters' defenders claim it's merely an "anti-Trans" trope
GLAAD — which was originally called the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation before dropping the full name in order to “reflect our work on transgender issues” — harshly criticized the idea.
“‘Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violence and Extremism’ is a
common anti-trans trope used by right-wing political figures and media
to fearmonger and fuel false narratives about transgender people,”
GLAAD claimed last year.
“As inflammatory rhetoric and hate tropes targeting
transgender people are on the rise, it’s critical to recognize that such
terms are being deliberately deployed to fearmonger and dehumanize.”
Blaming the shooting victims for their own murders: "Don't light my fuse"
Dorgan — who also went by “Roberta Dorgano” and “Roberta Esposito” — was a man who identified as a woman and said that he had undergone genital surgery. Dorgan shot and killed
his ex-wife and one of his children at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena ice
rink in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on Monday. He also shot and wounded
other members of his former wife’s family before shooting and killing
himself as well.
Dorgan had indicated recently that he was willing to “go berserk” in response to language critical of transgender ideology.
Television actor Kevin Sorbo tweeted
on Saturday that Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del. — who is male but
identifies as transgender and female — “is a man.” “Keep bashing us,”
Dorgan tweeted in response on Sunday. “But do not wonder why we Go BERSERK.”
Far-right political commentator Alex Jones commented “so creepy” on Sunday in response to Sorbo’s post, and Dorgan replied,
“STFU [Shut the Fuck Up] Alex. Don’t be so butt hurtt [sic] over
somebody different. then wonder why trans ppl go fkn BERSERK.”
Dorgan had exclaimed
way back in December 2018 that “I'm a gun fanatic transwoman; i use
tampons for the hell of it. Don't light my fuse.” The emojis used in the
tweet included Christmas trees, American flags, angry faces, and
handguns.
Kirk — who was assassinated in September 2025 by a man who was allegedly upset with Kirk’s stance on transgenderism — appeared
on Fox News with Jesse Waters in May 2025, where Kirk argued that “the
only men who are gravitating toward the Democrat party are men who want
to become women.”
Daughter says "I think his gender-identity issues are a symptom of a deeper issue."
“GFYM [Go Fuck Yourself Myself],” Dorgan tweeted
in response, adding that he had undergone “full surgery” to attempt to
become a woman and stating that his politics were “to the Right of
Hitler.” Dorgan had also tweeted in October 2024 that he was “post op trans, to The Right of Hitler.”
NBC News affiliate 10 WJAR reported that Dorgan’s daughter
told the outlet on Tuesday “that her father struggled with mental health
his entire adulthood” and that "I think his gender-identity issues are a
symptom of a deeper issue."
The conservative satire outlet The Babylon Bee shared a May 2025 article with the headline: “'Psst! Hey Kid, Wanna Change Your Gender?' Says Target Dog Emerging From Clothes Rack.”
“Most Trans PPL leave kids alone,” Dorgan tweeted in response. “I would fight to the death for children.”
Right-wing provocateur Alex Jones also posted an August 2025 tweet
where he shared a photo of some of the ammunition magazines which had
been displayed by Minnesota school shooter Robin Westman (a man who had
also identified as transgender and a woman). Westman would go on to
murder two children and wound another 18 people.
“Some trans ppl would defend kids with their last breath,” Dorgan claimed in a tweet reply. Despite that, Dorgan would end up shooting and killing one of his children a half a year later.
NBC News affiliate 10 WJAR reported
that Dorgan’s daughter told the outlet on Tuesday “that her father
struggled with mental health his entire adulthood” and that "I think his
gender-identity issues are a symptom of a deeper issue."
Dorgan was also a self-proclaimed fan of antisemitic social media influencer Nick Fuentes, saying in December 2025 that “Nick Rules” and that he “Love[s] Nick!!!!”
Social media posts by Dorgan show his arms covered in tattoos, including an “SS” tattoo.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says
that “the SS (Schutzstaffel, or Protection Squads) was originally
established as Adolf Hitler’s personal bodyguard unit. It would later
become both the elite guard of the Nazi Reich and Hitler’s executive
force prepared to carry out all security-related duties.”
Back in October 2017 — years before his ex-wife filed for
divorce — in suggesting a caption for a photo of a man in a dumpster,
Dorgan tweeted: “When you tell your wife you’re trans and she chucks the wedding bands....”
“Our family has been forever changed by the tragic events
at Lynch Arena, where we lost our beloved brother Aidan and their mother
Rhonda, who was also my stepmother,” the family of Dorgan’s slain
victims said in a GoFundMe post.
“In addition to this unimaginable loss, their grandparents are
currently in critical condition, fighting for their lives. Ava, who is
working hard as a nursing student, and Colin, a 17-year-old senior in
high school, are now facing the future without their parents and older
brother. The weight of this loss is something no one should ever have to
bear, especially at such young ages.”
Trans-linked violence comes to Canada too
Just last week, Canada experienced one of its largest mass
shootings in recent history, when Jesse Van Rootselaar — a man who
identified as transgender and a woman — killed his mother and
11-year-old stepbrother before attacking people at the Tumbler Ridge
Secondary School in British Columbia, where he killed five students and a
teacher before killing himself with a gun on February 10.
It was reported by USA Today
that “the shooter was identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar,
who was born male, began transitioning six years ago and identified as
female,” according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Van Rootselaar’s mother reportedly posted in July of last
year “that she supports protecting trans children” as she criticized
“keyboard warriors. [...] As a conservative-leaning libertarian who
lives in the north and loves living in a small town, I really hope the
hate I see online is just bored old people and not true hatred,” Van
Rootselaar’s since-murdered mother wrote in July 2024. “Do better and
educate yourself.”
CNN reported
that “on the Reddit account which matched the username of Van
Rootselaar’s YouTube channel, several posts openly discussed struggles
with mental health issues, with the poster saying they had sought
psychiatric help in 2023. The Reddit posts also detailed drug use.”
The Anti-Defamation League claimed
that “preliminary findings on the Tumbler Ridge shooter from the ADL
Center on Extremism suggest the shooter followed a troubling pattern of
online radicalization marked by engagement with white supremacist
ideology and a self-described addiction to gore content.”
The assassination of Charlie Kirk
Authorities announced last summer that they had arrested
22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a resident of western Utah, for the
September 10 murder of Charlie Kirk,
a popular conservative influencer and ally of President Donald Trump,
whom the suspected shooter gunned down at Utah Valley University during a
question-and-answer session at the Turning Point USA event.
Robinson is not said to identify as transgender himself —
but his roommate and purported boyfriend at the time allegedly
identified as such.
The alleged assassin who shot and killed Kirk last summer
was living with a male partner who was allegedly in the process of
“transitioning” to being a female and who was “cooperating” with
investigators, sources familiar with the investigation told Just the News in September.
The ammunition allegedly belonging to Robinson was inscribed with such antifascist and anti-Nazi phrases as “Hey fascist! Catch!” and apparent video game references.
Utah prosecutors provided evidence during a press conference and in a court filing
last year that Robinson’s family members said he leaned to the “left”
politically, and that he had recently become “more pro-gay and
trans-rights oriented.”
Robinson decided to kill Kirk because of Kirk's imagined "hatred"
Robinson allegedly told his mother after the shooting that
“there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much
hate.” The suspect also allegedly messaged his roommate — a boyfriend
who was allegedly seeking to transition from male to female — that
Robinson had targeted Kirk “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t
be negotiated out.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox conveyed similar details
about information provided by the roommate during a September press
conference. Cox said that a family member said Robinson had become “more
political” in recent years, and that earlier this year Robinson had
mentioned that Kirk was coming to the Utah university, with a family
member allegedly stating he believed Kirk was “full of hate” and
“spreading hate.”
Cox told The Wall Street Journal in a story published
in September that “it’s very clear to us and to the investigators that
this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.”
Robinson was charged with “aggravated murder” in Utah. He has not entered a formal plea, and a trial date has not been set yet.
“I wish I never brainwashed myself”
Robin Westerman — another male who identified as
transgender and female — shot and killed students at the Annunciation
Catholic Church and School in Minnesota on August 27 last year — only a
few weeks before another trans individual murdered Kirk. Westerman
killed two children and wounded more than a dozen others. He killed
himself after the shooting.
The New York Times — which insisted on using female pronounces to describe Westerman despite him being a biological male — reported
that “at 17, the shooter legally changed her name to Robin Westman from
Robert Westman, because she identified as female and wants her name to
reflect that identification,’ according to court documents.”
It was reported by The New York Post that Westerman had written “a twisted handwritten journal he shared on YouTube before the massacre.”
“I only keep [the long hair] because it is pretty much my
last shred of being trans. I am tired of being trans, I wish I never
brain-washed myself,” the outlet said Westerman had written. “I regret
being trans. I wish I was a girl. I just know I cannot achieve that body
with the technology we have today. I also can’t afford that.”
A notebook belonging to Westerman included a hand drawn map of the inside of a church — with a video showing a knife stabbed into it.
Ammo magazines displayed by Westerman included a host of angry messages,
including “6 million wasn’t enough” (an apparently antisemitic
reference to the Holocaust), an apparent desire to “Kill Donald Trump,”
and the question “Where is your God?”
Faith, houses of worship a popular for violent trans shooters
On March 27, 2023, Audrey Hale killed three children and
three school employees at The Covenant Presbyterian Church and School.
Hale — a female who identified as male and transgender — had attended
The Covenant School between 2001 and 2005.
The Metro Nashville Police Department released its 48-page “Investigative Case Summary” on The Covenant School shooting last year.
“It should be noted that in life, the offender, Audrey
Hale, gender identified as a male and used he/him as preferred pronouns.
Under Tennessee law, a person’s gender identity must correspond with their biological sex or with information present on their certificate of live birth,” the Nashville police investigative summary said.
“As Hale was a biological female at the time of her death
and throughout the incidents described in this summary and in the case
file, Hale will be referred to as a female.”
Trans-shooter Hale: “Being white sucks [...] I hate you all.”
The report by Nashville police downplayed or ignored Hale’s
obsession with and confusion over her gender identity and her desire to
have been born male instead of female, and did not mention how Hale
believed she was the reincarnation of one of the male Columbine
shooters. The report by the police also omitted entirely her racist
anti-white murder fantasies.
Megyn Kelly’s podcast
released excerpts of Hale’s writings in April 2025. “Being white sucks,
but being black is so cool. Black people should rule. White people
should fall, every white person who lived and died. I hate you all,”
Hale had written in one entry.
Hale wrote in June 2021 that “I feel I am the reincarnation
of Dylan Klebold” — one of the Columbine school shooters. Hale also
expressed a desire to “kill all the white kids. Kill my own race [...]
Let all the black kids go [...]” A month later, Hale wrote that “being
white sucks… I hate you all.”
“It was miserable being raised a girl [...] I didn’t know
trans existed [...] We should all choose our gender,” Hale wrote in
April 2022. She referred to herself as a “Trans Man” on the next page,
and on the page after that she wrote: “F Me [...] Female pronouns make
me want to die…”
Records released by the FBI show Hale also wrote
about the “advantages” of targeting the school, including that it was a
“Christian school” — and underlining that she “hate[s] religion.”
Kavanaugh’s would-be assassin: "I need psychiatric help”
Nicholas Roske was charged with and later convicted of
attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his
home in June 2022. Just ahead of sentencing in September 2025, Roske’s
lawyers revealed that Roske wanted to be called “Sophie” and identified as transgender and female, despite being male.
Roske had showed up at Kavanaugh’s house in Maryland after
midnight with burglary tools, a knife, a gun, pepper spray, and a pair
of special boots with outer soles allowing stealthy movement inside a
house, though he walked away when he spotted a pair of deputy U.S.
marshals outside Kavanaugh’s home, according to court records.
Roske told investigators he was angry about the possibility of the court overturning Roe v. Wade and believed Kavanaugh would play a role in upholding Second Amendment rights in a separate high-profile case.
Authorities released 911 call records showing Roske called
the police on himself before executing his plan, saying, “I need
psychiatric help.” He had called a cab to the home of Kavanaugh before
walking away just outside of it. He told the operator he had shown up to
hurt “Brett Kavanaugh [...] the Supreme Court justice.”
Roske’s defense lawyers submitted
a September 2025 filing revealing that their client identified as
transgender — and attempting to argue that this was a mitigating factor
for the judge to consider. The revelations were first reported by The Daily Wire.
“The case is captioned as United States v. Nicholas John Roske,”
the defense lawyers wrote. “That name remains Ms. Roske’s legal name,
and she has not asked to recaption the case. Out of respect for Ms.
Roske, the balance of this pleading and counsel’s in-court argument will
refer to her as Sophie and use female pronouns.”
The defense team also contended that “in 2015, when Sophie
was 19 years old, she made plans to take her own life by driving off a
cliff near her church in Chatsworth, California.” The lawyers also said
that “Sophie attempted to move out on her own and live as a trans woman;
it ended in failure. In 2020, Sophie came out to herself as a trans
woman and sought medical care.”
Roske’s lawyers said that the Dobbs opinion leak
and protests outside the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices
“started Sophie, then acutely suicidal, ruminating about the Supreme
Court and the impact its decisions can have on the country.”
The defense team argued that “Ms. Roske’s offense conduct
is mitigated by several factors, including but not limited to [...] The
harshness of the conditions of confinement Ms. Roske will face due to
current Bureau of Prisons policy regarding transgender inmates and the
lack of adequate mental health resources in the Bureau of Prisons.”
Roske’s sister also told
the judge that “Sophie has had a rock in her shoe her whole life” —
comparing that sort of discomfort to Roske’s belief that he is actually a
woman.
Roske’s mother told
the court that “Sophie is transgender. No wonder she needed space and
moved so far away. At that time, Sophie was trying to navigate something
that I hadn’t been open to recognizing, or hearing. I wasn't a safe
space to share something so personal. Since her incarceration, we have
been able to have open and honest conversations about her gender
identity and how that evolved.”
The sentencing of Roske was decided by Judge Deborah Boardman, an appointee of now-former President Joe Biden.
The DOJ argued that Roske should be sentenced to “no fewer
than 30 years to life imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised
release,” calling it “the necessary and just sentence in this case.”
Judge Boardman sentenced Roske to much less than that: The DOJ revealed
in October 2025 that Roske “was sentenced today to slightly more than
eight years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised
release for attempting to kill a United States Supreme Court Justice.”
The Department of Justice advocated for a sentence of at least 30 years
to life.
“The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett
Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by
a profoundly disturbed individual,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
“The Department of Justice will be appealing the woefully insufficient
sentence imposed by the district court, which does not reflect the
horrific facts of this case.”
The DOJ appealed in November, but the federal appeals court hasn't made a decision yet.
