A transgender militant activist who has quickly become one of the most high-profile “faces” of the radical movement is reportedly a former soldier.
Kayla Denker, who runs a YouTube page with videos devoted to explaining Marxism and guns, posted a video of herself with an assault rifle after the Nashville school shooting.
The Nashville attacker Audrey Hale, 28, was described by police as transgender and appeared to refer to herself online as “Aiden” – although authorities still refer to Hale as a woman.
Hale’s murder of three nine-year-olds and three staff members at a Christian school she attended — which police say may have resented — has sparked intense debate in the transgender community.
While the vast majority condemned the attack, fringe groups and extremists said the shooting was partly a result of oppression of trans people.
Denker, who lives in Colorado and is believed to be a former soldier, was among those who immediately posted a highly provocative video online showing herself with an assault rifle.
Kayla Denker, who is believed to be a former soldier, posted this video online following Monday’s Nashville school shooting. The shooting was carried out by a transgender person
Denker doesn’t say anything in the TikTok, but reloads her assault rifle several times while staring at the camera.
The clip is captioned, “While just advocating for trans people to arm themselves is not a solution to the genocide we are facing, I want to say that if you transphobes try to come to me…”
The conclusion of her comment was broken off in the images shared online.
Denker has since made most of her social media accounts private.
One account that remains publicly available is her YouTube page, which she started in 2016.
Her first video, posted four years ago, was a 10-minute clip titled “The Reclamation of Communism.”
She then uploaded an eight-part series on Marxism and three parts of a BBC documentary about the German philosopher.
Denker’s latest videos are about weapons.
In March 2021, she posted a video of a man apparently named Adam talking about guns, titled, “High-Power Rifles and Why the AR-15 Isn’t One.”
In July 2021, she posted a video of the same man titled, “What gear should you get as a beginner?”
Adam is believed to have been Kayla before the transition.
Based in Colorado, Kayla Denker has built a strong social media presence
A month later, in August 2021, a video titled “Gun Demographics w/ Adam Denker” was posted to a Patreon site for those interested in guns, hammers and pistols.
The video’s caption reads: “Adam Denker called from the mountains of the PNW so the sound quality isn’t the best but I think we had a good discussion on the breakdown of who owns guns, who owns the means of production in the gun include industry and more.
“Content Warning for Episode: Discussion of Military-Related Violence; white supremacy; Suicide; right-wing and fascist notions of violence; Discussing the history of indigenous genocide and enslavement of Africans.’
The links on the online page all lead back to Kayla Denker’s current pages.
Kayla Denker’s TikTok video came as trans activists across the country continued to rally their supporters for a “trans revenge day” after raising money for firearms training.
The group’s Virginia chapter held a “dance party fundraiser” in Richmond on March 7 benefiting firearms/self-defense training for trans-Virginians.
The group’s Virginia chapter held a “dance party fundraiser” in Richmond on March 7 benefiting firearms/self-defense training for trans-Virginians
Twitter removed the posts that could be viewed as threatening or involving weapons associated with the “TransDayofVengeance” hashtag – but it’s unclear how many others posed with guns, as they have since been deleted
An activist who used the hashtag on a since-banned account and threatened to kill Christians uses an offensive slur
Two other trans activists have since posted footage and photos of themselves with guns in what appear to be a direct response to the Nashville shooting
In statements, the group has sought to distance itself from Nashville gunman Hale and her actions, and changed the name of the protest.
Saturday’s protest was originally going to be called “Visibility Day” but – prior to the shooting – was renamed in Revenge because it means “fight back with vehemence”.
Contacted by , the group was quick to say they “do not encourage or encourage violence”.
But one activist seems to have taken the movement to the next level by posting a picture of a heavily armed person with an assault rifle and threatening to “kill Christcucks” – offensive slang for Christians.
Twitter has removed posts that could be considered threatening or contain weapons associated with the “TransDayofVengeance” hashtag.
The @TDNTracker account that posted images of the two women with guns has since been deleted.
Ella Irwin, head of trust and safety at Twitter, wrote that the company removed more than 5,000 tweets that contained a poster for the event.
She said: “We do not support tweets inciting violence, regardless of who posts them.
“Revenge” does not imply peaceful protest. Organizing or supporting peaceful protests is fine.”
Two other trans activists have since posted footage and photos of themselves with guns in what appear to be a direct response to the Nashville shooting.
One says she will use the weapon for “protection” against “transphobes” who attack her.
Audrey Hale’s LinkedIn profile suggested they were now living as a man and went by the name Aiden when she shot and killed six people at a Nashville Christian private school
Hale was born a female but had recently started using he/him pronouns and the name “Aiden,” according to friends and police
Sites like Etsy are still used to sell pro-gun and trans merchandise, with stickers that read “Defend Equality” with assault rifles
Others have available flags and stickers that read “Defend Equality” on the colors of the trans flag
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Green also saw her account removed after launching multiple anti-trans attacks on Twitter.
Greene claimed that “Antifa” organized the April 1 event and re-released a poster for the protest.
Activists are encouraged to “bring a buddy” and wear a mask at the DC Supreme Court event billed as revenge for a “trans genocide.”
Organizers did not respond to questions about protest safety amid mounting pressure between the two sides of the political spectrum.
Sites like Etsy are still used to sell pro-gun and trans merchandise, with stickers that read “Defend Equality” with assault rifles.
They also sell t-shirts and other items that say “trans rights…or else,” with the powerful guns in pink, white, and blue—the trans colors—on them.