Transgenderism vs. ‘Trans Ideology’: A Useful Distinction

‘There does not seem to be a coherent ideological motive behind this attack,” Amy Cooter, the deputy director at the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism, told NPR in the immediate aftermath of the August shootings at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota. “It really seems to be much more about the violence for the sake of violence.”

Sure, the FBI said the attacker was motivated by a “hate-filled ideology.” But which ideology, we may never know. “I think the most important thing is what the shooter wrote on the slide of that handgun: ‘There is no message,’” the Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s Cody Zoschak agreed. “There’s an inherently nonideological indication.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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‘There does not seem to be a coherent ideological motive behind this attack,” Amy Cooter, the deputy director at the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism, told NPR in the immediate aftermath of the August shootings at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota. “It really seems to be much more about the violence for the sake of violence.”

Sure, the FBI said the attacker was motivated by a “hate-filled ideology.” But which ideology, we may never know. “I think the most important thing is what the shooter wrote on the slide of that handgun: ‘There is no message,’” the Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s Cody Zoschak agreed. “There’s an inherently nonideological indication.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.