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Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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The Apalachee High School shooter reportedly complained that trans people are accepted in society. Right-wing media claimed the shooter was trans.

Fringe accounts began claiming the shooter was trans just hours after the tragedy was reported. Prominent influencers followed.

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Written by Payton Armstrong & Alyssa Tirrell

Research contributions from Ari Drennen

Published

On September 4, 14-year-old suspect Colt Gray allegedly killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in what has become Georgia’s deadliest school shooting. Continuing a familiar trend, fringe right-wing accounts almost immediately began claiming without evidence that the shooter was trans. 

Prominent right-wing media influencers followed suit, apparently misinterpreting a CNN report about the suspect’s online activity to baselessly claim that the suspect was “another trans shooter” and “motivated by trans activism." 

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  • Continuing a familiar trend, fringe right-wing accounts claimed without evidence that the shooter is trans

    • On September 4, a 14-year-old suspect, Colt Gray, allegedly killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in what has become Georgia’s deadliest school shooting. His father, Colin Gray, faces related charges for “providing a firearm to Colt Gray with knowledge that he was threat to himself and others.” [The New York Times, 9/6/24; The Associated Press, 9/6/24]
    • A Discord account linked to Colt Gray allegedly shared plans for a mass shooting targeting LGBTQ people and made anti-trans posts. The Washington Post reported that an account seemingly belonging to Gray had threatened a mass shooting, posting an image of a family holding signs showing support for their trans daughter, and writing, “I need to put an end to that. … im on the edge of a lgbtq massacre.” Additionally, per CNN, “The account referenced Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter, and in separate posts shared a desire to target an elementary school and expressed frustration that transgender people were being accepted in society.” (The original language in CNN’s reporting stated that the suspect had “expressed frustration with the acceptance of transgender people,” but was seemingly updated for clarity.) [The Washington Post, 9/6/24; CNN, 9/6/24, accessed 9/6/24 via Internet Archive]
    • Right-wing media figures have repeatedly claimed without evidence that perpetrators of mass shootings are trans or nonbinary. False claims, which have become more prevalent in recent years, have followed on the heels of several mass shootings, including those in Lakewood and Uvalde, Texas. In some cases these claims have been parroted by mainstream media outlets reporting on the tragedy, further contributing to the spread of anti-trans misinformation. [Media Matters, 1/5/24, 2/13/24, 2/26/24]
    • In the hours just after the Apalachee shooting, some fringe accounts alleged that the shooter — who at that point was still unidentified — was trans. Some claims, which may have originally surfaced on 4Chan, included an image alleged to prove the suspect's trans identity. This image was later confirmed to be “a digitally altered photo of a Fortnite streamer known as Batman Bugha,” according to Daily Dot. Other claims may have stemmed from a Facebook post alleging that the shooter was “female.” These posts did not garner significant interaction. [Twitter/X, 9/4/24  9/4/24, 9/4/24, 9/4/24; Daily Dot, 9/6/24] 
    • Other fringe accounts repurposed an anti-trans meme, claiming falsely that the shooter was “Samantha Hyde.” According to Politifact, “For almost a decade, people have been falsely pinning tragedies on a person by this or a similar name: that of comedian Sam Hyde.” [Politifact, 9/5/24]
    • Once the shooter was identified, fringe accounts began to claim that “Colt Gray” was trans, or continued to allege that “the shooter” was trans. Some accounts referred to photos they claimed depicted the shooter, apparently suggesting that his longer hair or general appearance proved a trans identity. Some posts also included screenshots of a social media account allegedly belonging to the shooter, which Politifact later determined to be “false.” [Twitter/X, 9/4/24, 9/5/24, 9/6/24, 9/6/24; Politifact, 9/5/24]

  • Prominent right-wing media influencers baselessly claimed the suspect was “another trans shooter” and “motivated by trans activism”

    • Right-wing troll Benny Johnson shared CNN’s article, declaring that the “Georgia shooter was motivated by trans activism” and claiming numerous other shootings were perpetuated by trans people. Johnson said: “One thing is VERY clear: the modern trans movement is radicalizing activists into terrorists.” [Twitter/X, 9/7/24; CNN, 9/7/24]
    • In a since-deleted post, right-wing troll Andy Ngo shared a screenshot of CNN’s article to falsely claim that it proved the suspect had been motivated by “grievances about the lack of trans acceptance." After CNN clarified their reporting, Ngo deleted the post and wrote, “CNN’s reporting has been updated to say that the Georgia school shooting suspect had expressed anti-trans posts online in 2023 when he allegedly made threats online. I have deleted my first post (screenshotted here), which made a claim counter to CNN’s current reporting. I apologize for the wrong inference.” [Twitter/X, 9/6/24; Rolling Stone, 9/3/19]
    • Trump ally Laura Loomer shared Ngo’s initial post and declared, “Another trans shooter.” As of publication, Loomer does not appear to have deleted the post or corrected the record. [Twitter/X, 9/6/24; Media Matters, 8/14/24]
    • Anti-LGBTQ account Libs of TikTok shared the CNN report and wrote, “It’s time to have a national conversation about the modern LGBTQ movement radicalizing youth into becoming violent activists.” As of publication, Libs of TikTok still has not deleted the misinformed post, a practice which the account's creator has defended in the past. [Twitter/X, 9/6/24; Media Matters, 11/2/23, 2/26/24]
    • In a since-deleted post, anti-trans pundit Robby Starbuck shared the CNN report and wrote, “The Georgia school shooter is LGBTQ+ and wanted more transgender normalization.” [Twitter/X, 9/6/24; CNN, 8/28/24]
    • Anti-trans activist Riley Gaines posted that CNN’s article showed the suspect was motivated by a lack of trans acceptance, later deleting the post and writing, “CNN’s original article was incredibly misleading.” [Twitter/X, 9/6/24, 9/6/24]
    • Right-wing troll account Catturd declared: “Another trans shooter.” As of publication, Catturd does not appear to have deleted the post or corrected the record. [Twitter/X, 9/6/24; Rolling Stone, 2/9/23]
    • Right-wing pundit Carmine Sabia shared CNN’s article and wrote: “Colt Gray, another trans mass shooter.” He added: “This nation needs to start providing mental counseling for this mental disease of being transgender and stop pretending that it is normal when it is not.” [Twitter/X, 9/6/24]
    • Right-wing influencer Matt Wallace posted a picture of Gray and falsely alleged, “Every child killed in a mass school shooting in the last 2 years, was killed by a transgender shooter.” Wallace has previously baselessly accused mass shooters of being trans. [Twitter/X, 9/6/24; Salon, 7/19/24]