2025-09-02
The Dangerous Myth: How Sebastian Gorka Got It Wrong About Transgender People and School Shootings
by Rob McConnell
On a recent CNN segment, White House official Sebastian Gorka made a sweeping claim: that school shooters in America are increasingly transgender. He framed it as a growing pattern, brushing aside official statistics as “fake news.” The statement was bold, alarming—and false.
A False Narrative Takes Shape
Gorka’s claim plays into a broader political narrative, one that attempts to tie marginalized communities to acts of violence. In reality, the data tells a very different story. According to the Gun Violence Archive, less than 0.11% of all mass shootings in the United States over the past decade were carried out by people who were not cisgender. That tiny fraction includes both transgender and nonbinary individuals. When it comes specifically to school shootings, only about 2% involved transgender suspects—and even then, the motives had nothing to do with gender identity.
What the Research Really Shows
The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center reviewed 180 mass public-space attacks between 2016 and 2020. Of those, just three attackers—around 2%—were transgender. Only one incident occurred in a K–12 school setting. Compare that to the overwhelming majority: nearly every other case involved cisgender men, most of them white. The numbers are clear, consistent, and undisputed among experts.
The Harm in Spreading Misinformation
Why, then, would Gorka push this narrative? Critics argue that it serves a political purpose: redirecting public outrage away from meaningful reforms—like addressing gun access and improving mental health resources—and toward scapegoating a vulnerable community.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups such as GLAAD have warned for years that baseless claims of “trans terrorism” emerge after high-profile tragedies. These claims not only misrepresent the facts but also put transgender individuals at greater risk of harassment, discrimination, and violence. As GLAAD notes, transgender people are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators.
A Real Example of Misdirection
After the tragic Minneapolis church shooting earlier this year, the shooter’s writings revealed a mix of hate, bigotry, and violent ideology—not gender identity—as the motivating force. Still, Gorka and others seized on the shooter’s transgender identity as though it explained the crime. Representative Ilhan Omar pushed back, arguing that focusing on the attacker’s gender identity was “not the moment to point fingers at marginalized people, but to confront the real issues fueling violence in our communities.”
Why This Matters
Spreading misinformation about transgender people not only clouds public understanding but also distracts from the real drivers of school shootings: unchecked gun access, extremist ideologies, and unaddressed mental health crises. By promoting a false connection, Gorka and others in his circle deflect responsibility from policy failures that could actually save lives.
The Bottom Line
School shootings are a devastating and complex problem. But one thing is clear: they are not a transgender problem. The overwhelming majority of perpetrators are cisgender men. Attempts to frame transgender people as a threat are not supported by evidence. Instead, they reveal the persistence of political scapegoating in place of serious solutions.
The facts speak louder than rhetoric. If America wants to reduce school shootings, it must focus on the real issues—rather than fabricating dangerous myths about already vulnerable communities.
To contact Rob McConnell, email - ram@twatnews.com