Statement on Annunciation Catholic School shooting

We are outraged by the tragic shooting in Minneapolis and grieve for those whose lives were lost. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the entire community as they grapple with this unimaginable loss. No one should have to live in fear of violence in their neighborhoods, and it is heartbreaking that yet again, lives have been cut short by a senseless act of gun violence.

But let us be clear: the rush to scapegoat transgender people in the aftermath of this tragedy is nothing but a dangerous distraction.

Our communities are under attack not because of who we are, but because politicians refuse to take on the real crises at hand: the flood of guns on our streets, the deliberate underfunding of mental health care and the political cowardice that protects the gun lobby over human lives.

Religious freedom and gender freedom uphold the same core value of the right to live as you are, free from persecution and hate. Both are grounded in the belief that every person is sacred and deserving of respect.

Transgender people are not the problem. Gun violence is. We must not let violence beget violence.