Transgender woman calls for unity following death of Charlie Kirk

For Gigi Gandy, some of the reaction online to the death of Charlie Kirk has been deeply unsettling. She worries the hateful posts celebrating his death could spill into real violence against her community.

What they’re saying:

“I think it’s honestly disturbing,” Gandy said. She was never a fan of Charlie Kirk, and as a transgender woman, Gandy often found his comments hurtful. Yet, in her view, he spoke a direct truth.

“Transgender women being men. Yes, we’re men. Embrace it. We were born that way, and that’s why we change to be who we are today,” she explained.

Still, Gandy says she’s disgusted and appalled at social media posts celebrating Kirk’s death. “Being transgender, and you know, all these other transgender individuals saying, you know, Hip, hip, hooray. It’s not a hip, hip hooray moment. This is a man with a family with kids,” she said.

Adding to her concern are reports from several media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, citing an unverified internal bulletin from the ATF that some cartridges found with the recovered rifle were inscribed with wording expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology. Authorities have not confirmed that publicly.

“We’re even more at risk now. I just feel like it’s a different light being shed onto transgenders now, which is more a hateful light,” Gandy said.

This fear is not new for her. Last May, a man slashed her tires at a gas station in Studio City. The attack was caught on camera, but no arrest was ever made. She warns her community to be mindful of the growing intolerance.

“To the other trans individuals, I would say, watch what you’re putting online, because it’s going to come back and bite us all in the ass. And whether you’re on the left or the right, we’re all human at the end of the day,” she added.

As the investigation continues, Gandy says she’ll remain alert and urges others in her community to do the same. She hopes this moment sparks more empathy instead of hate.