The really fucked thing is that Kirk himself isn’t even relevant here. There was a high-profile crime and they want to attack trans people so they’re talking about trans this, trans that. Kirk had just mentioned trans shooters so they thought, bam, there’s our narrative, make the pieces fit, whatever you have to do.

But it could have been any big, “scary” crime with any victim, as long as they saw a good narrative opening. If it hadn’t been this one, it would have been another.