On May 7th, 2019, STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado was the scene of a school shooting that left one student dead and several others injured. The two suspects were 18-year-old Devon Erickson and 16-year-old Maya/Alec McKinney. McKinney identifies as transgender and male.

In the aftermath of the shooting, some right-wing media figures and politicians attempted to link McKinney’s transgender identity to the shooting. This is a dangerous and irresponsible narrative that I want to address directly.

Being transgender does not cause violence. The overwhelming majority of transgender people are not violent and are, in fact, more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. The attempt to link McKinney’s gender identity to the shooting is nothing more than an attempt to stigmatize transgender people.

The motive for the shooting, according to investigators, was hatred of the school and a desire for revenge against classmates. This has nothing to do with being transgender.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we need to stop looking for scapegoats after these tragedies and start having honest conversations about the real causes of school violence.