The Republican Fixation on Trans Kids Makes All Kids Less Safe
On Oct. 15, 2026, Silver Rail Elementary in Oregon became the latest site of a mass school shooting. Though by the time this is published, it’s entirely possible another school will take the title of “latest,” bumping Silver Rail to the title of “recent,” then to “past,” then to the dumpster that houses this country’s collective memory.
Statistically, school shootings in the U.S. are a rare occurrence (though compared to other countries, we’re No. 1). Most U.S. students will never be in a school while people are being shot at and killed, let alone be shot and left to bleed to death in a hallway or under a desk.
But some will. And as a country we’ve chosen to accept this even though it should be completely unacceptable. We chalk it up to the cost of freedom to bear arms. As a country we’ve chosen, over and over, to protect guns over kids.
It’s not like Democrats have done a whole hell of a lot on the issue, but with Republicans in charge of both houses of Congress, the presidency and the U.S. Supreme Court, I’m sure not holding my breath that the Silver Rail shooting will move the needle.
Besides, Republicans have other priorities when it comes to protecting kids. Republicans have decided that the biggest threat to children is the existence of transgender people, especially transgender students playing sports.
In case you need proof (in other words, in case you have been in a bunker somewhere without any connection to the outside world), check out the many ballot measures that people will be voting on across the country in the midterm election. An alarming number of them are about transgender people.
In Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Washington voters will decide whether trans students can play sports on teams that align with their gender identities. Washington’s measure is especially horrific given that it will require “every girl in the state to have her sex assigned at birth verified by a doctor — through either genetic or hormone tests or an examination of her reproductive anatomy — to determine eligibility for K-12 sports,” The 19th reports.
It’s telling that there doesn’t seem to be any mention of boys having to undergo invasive and humiliating examinations to play K-12 sports. But we can thank misogyny and toxic masculinity for that. After all, we live in a country that hates women (Trump winning twice is pretty solid evidence, but this is a hatred that goes way back) and you can’t hate women without also hating girls. Therefore, the worst thing any boy or man could do is to become a girl or a woman. Note that I’m using these terms in a binary way to exemplify the lack of nuance inherent in discussions about transgender people, not because that’s what I believe.
The very people who want to inspect the genitals of a girl before she can join the volleyball team will tell you, and themselves, that they are only trying to protect girls. That they cannot imagine any reasons other than sexual deviance and predation that would compel a male to identify as female illuminates how little they think of women ... and men for that matter.
In Colorado and Missouri, voters will decide the fate of gender-affirming care.
“[Colorado voters will] decide whether to ban transition-related surgeries for minors, and whether state or federal funds, Medicaid reimbursements or insurance coverage can be used to help pay for them,” reports The 19th.
The Republican fixation on transition-related surgeries is deeply concerning because they clearly do not understand what the hell they’re talking about. And this lack of understanding is causing them to believe some really wild things.
Trump himself has alleged multiple times that kids are going to school and coming home having had such surgeries.
In September he addressed a Wisconsin rally, saying, “Can you imagine you’re a parent and your son leaves the house and you say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school,’ and your son comes back with a brutal operation? Can you even imagine this?”
To answer his questions: Yes, I can imagine this, just as I can imagine riding a unicorn made of cotton candy instead of driving a car. Because it isn’t something that happens. It’s imaginary.
“There is no evidence that a student has ever undergone gender-affirming surgery at a school in the U.S., nor is there evidence that a U.S. school has sent a student to receive such a procedure elsewhere,” NBC News reports.
There are many very real dangers to children that actually exist (gun violence, sexual exploitation, abuse, environmental pollutants, previously eradicated diseases like measles, malnutrition, homelessness, etc.), but those dangers aren’t anything Republicans are interested in addressing. So they have to fixate on a danger that doesn’t exist. Which doesn’t make anyone safer.
What to know at a glance
Which states are voting on transgender sports measures in the midterms?
Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Washington will decide whether transgender students can play on teams matching their gender identities. Colorado and Missouri voters will separately decide the fate of gender-affirming care, including a Colorado measure banning transition-related surgeries for minors.
What would the Washington ballot measure actually require?
It would require every girl in the state to have her sex assigned at birth verified by a doctor to be eligible for K-12 sports, according to The 19th. Verification could come through genetic or hormone tests or an examination of her reproductive anatomy. No equivalent requirement applies to boys.
Do students really get gender-affirming surgery at school?
No. There is no evidence that a student has ever undergone gender-affirming surgery at a U.S. school, or that a school has sent a student elsewhere for one, NBC reports. Trump has repeatedly made the claim anyway, including at a September rally in Wisconsin.
Why does this column tie school shootings to anti-trans ballot measures?
Because Republicans controlling Congress, the presidency and the Supreme Court are focused on transgender students rather than threats that kill children, the column argues. The October 15, 2026 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Oregon is unlikely to move gun policy, while state gun safety laws go unaddressed.
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