This blog is originally appeared at LGBTQ Nation

“I wish people would set aside their personal biases in this situation,” the local police chief stated.

Police in Madison, Wisconsin, have urged the public to stop speculating about the gender identity of the individual responsible for the tragic shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday. The shooting resulted in three fatalities, including the suspected shooter, and left six others injured. Among those expressing condolences for the victims were openly gay U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and lesbian Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

The suspect, 15-year-old student Natalie Rupnow, opened fire with a handgun around 11 a.m. local time in a study hall, according to CNN. She took her own life, as well as that of a teacher and a student, and left six others injured, two of whom remain in critical condition. Authorities have not yet released any details regarding the shooter’s gender identity or the motive behind the attack. However, transphobic groups have wrongfully used this incident to spread false claims that the shooter was transgender, aiming to further stigmatize the trans community as dangerous.

“I don’t know whether the shooter was transgender or not,” Police Chief Shone Barnes stated during a press conference on Monday evening. “I don’t think whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may have wanted to identify.”

Barnes emphasized, “I wish people would leave their own personal biases out of this. Whether or not she was, he was, or they were transgender is something that may come out later. But for what we’re doing right now, eight hours after a mass shooting, it is of no consequence.”

While there have been reports suggesting that Rupnow may have left behind writings later shared online by someone claiming to be connected to her, police have not yet verified the authenticity of these writings. The suspected shooter’s parents are reportedly cooperating with investigators and, at this time, face no legal charges, according to authorities.

There have been at least 83 school shootings in the U.S. so far this year, CNN reports. In the aftermath of some incidents, right-wing figures have spread misinformation about the shooters identifying as transgender.

Following Monday’s shooting, anti-LGBTQ+ activist Chaya Raichik, known for running the LibsOfTikTok account, shared a video of Chief Barnes using different pronouns to refer to the shooter. Raichik suggested that Barnes did so due to Rupnow’s gender identity.

In early January, Raichik made a similar claim, posting misinformation that suggested five recent school shooters had identified as nonbinary or transgender. Her image also falsely asserted that the 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooter was transgender—this was not the case, and the person shown posing with a trans flag in her image was not the actual shooter.

The transphobic billionaire Elon Musk amplified Raichik’s inaccurate post, commenting with “!!” to further spread the misinformation.

In response to the recent shooting, Rep. Pocan issued a statement: “‘Thoughts and prayers’ offer comfort to the families and communities affected but have not changed our unique reality as Americans. It’s time for action. I am a co-sponsor of several gun violence prevention and youth mental health bills that will help prevent future tragedies like this. It’s time for my Republican colleagues to grow a backbone and put our children above the gun lobby by passing commonsense gun safety laws that will save countless lives.”

He continued, “My heart goes out to the victims of the Abundant Life Christian School shooting, their loved ones, and our entire community.” He also expressed gratitude toward the police and first responders who assisted the school.

Sen. Baldwin shared her thoughts on X, saying that her “heart breaks” for the community, which has been “scarred forever.” She added, “My thoughts are with the families mourning, the injured, the teachers and staff, and the entire Madison community that has been traumatized by this senseless gun violence.”

“No one in America should have to suffer like this—let alone kids in school,” she wrote. “I refuse to sit idly by and am committed to being part of the solution to end the scourge of gun violence.”

Echoing the false claims about a trans shooter, right-wing figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have repeatedly argued that trans people are dangerous because they are “mentally ill.” These transphobes assert that transgender individuals are mentally unstable and seek to “groom” and “sexualize” children with what they call “gender ideology,” which they claim confuses and coerces kids into pursuing “irreversible” medical procedures that will “mutilate” them for life. Boebert has even suggested that affirming trans people’s identities directly contributes to school shootings.

However, the truth is that the vast majority of mass shooters in the U.S. are cisgender males. The right-wing focus on linking trans identity to violence and mental illness often serves to stigmatize queer individuals while distracting from the real issue—gun control. Proposals for stronger gun regulations are often ignored, despite their potential to prevent mass shootings in the first place.

A CNN analyst criticized conservatives for scapegoating trans people in the wake of school shootings. Rather than focusing on the shooter’s gender identity, the analyst emphasized the need to address broader issues, such as mental health, child protection, school security, and firearm safety reforms, as essential steps in preventing future tragedies.