A false sense of danger, revisited

A while ago I wrote A False Sense of Danger, which if you have not read, I would read first. https://www.pittparents.com/p/a-false-sense-of-danger

When I wrote that article, I wanted to explain why trans-identified teens and adults react with anger and avoidance to anyone who disagrees with any aspect of their ideology. To be more straightforward about it, it is largely due to fearmongering as these people genuinely believe that people who disagree with them hate them and want them to suffer or worse. What I didn't consider was where this is headed. If you believe that people who disagree with you hate you, that they want you to suffer, even that they want you dead, what actions are justified against them?

I'm writing this the morning of September 12, 2025/25. It has been almost two days since Charlie Kirk was murdered, may his memory be a blessing. As of now, authorities have not identified his murderer. I want to clarify that I am not blaming trans ideology or any trans-identified person for Charlie’s death. I think my point can be applied beyond trans ideology. I think it applies to anyone who fears people who disagree with them or any ideology that tells people that those who disagree with you want you to die. I've heard this narrative before, when people call others nazis, racists, bigots or white supremacists, when they clearly are not. There a large number of people celebrating Charlie Kirk's murder. I’ve seen people on TrevorSpace are particularly excited. If you're not familiar with that site it's a social forum site for lgbtq+ people aged 13-24.

There was a large thread discussing and apparently celebrating Kirk’s murder, writing that he deserved it and that this was an amazing day. The thread was 24 pages long! I got through only the first few posts but I imagine it gets worse as it goes on. I would post the user names but all of the accounts I screenshot claim to be children, so I'm not going to.

The reason the people behind these posts are so happy that Charlie Kirk was killed is because they hold the false belief that he would have wanted the same for them. I have seen a photo of a poster at a college that reads "Charlie Kirk wants us dead" with a trans flag drawn on it.

People have compared Kirk to Hitler saying people today would mourn Hitler if he was murdered and would try to convince you to see him as a person. But they shouldn’t. If someone is evil and wants harm to come to you, then there's nothing wrong with celebrating their death, right? That is the mindset. So now I ask where is this headed? What is justified now? If you celebrate Kirk’s death is his murderer a hero? If words are violence, are acts of violence in return self-defense? If Kirk truly is evil, what isn't justified against him? What isn't justified against everyone who agrees with him?

"Death before detransition". I want to bring back a point I made in A False Sense of Danger, the idea that life without transitioning is living hell. The rationale behind "Death before detransition" is "I will not surrender to a life where I cannot be trans". But what are the other implications? Not being able to transition is not an option and people want to see you suffer or die - this is what you're up against. Does this apply to murder as well?

I also want to mention again that all the posts in TrevorSpace claim to be from children. TrevorSpace is connected to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention resource. Many people found out about this site through a suicide hotline or suicide prevention website. I would also like to mention again the high rate of comorbidity between psychological disorders and trans-identified teens. It’s a very vulnerable population of mentally ill kids. And this is the message they are seeing and growing up on - the idea that you are at war with people who want to kill you. What comes next for the kids who don't wake up from this? I don't mean to fear-monger myself. I don't believe that most people would ever kill someone. But it goes to show how strong a hold this narrative has on kids.