via Miah Blackwell of The Cougar Chronicle, Over the last few years, individuals and groups tied to violent and extremist LGBTQ activism have been emerging in the heart of Utah. In May, we exposed how extremist students and clubs at UVU have been responsible for vandalism, violent threats and rhetoric, and even justifying the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Some even left the words “bella ciao” on the sidewalk during left-wing protests.In September 2025, the FBI opened an investigation into Armed Queers of SLC in connection to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Since then, no updates have been released. Today, we are shining a light on a problem Utah's leaders and media are ignoring: the rising trans militia. pic.twitter.com/fTLOHRPeYY
— The Cougar Chronicle (@TheCougChron) August 11, 2026In June, we documented an LGBTQ gathering in Provo where individuals beat an effigy of a police officer and wrote extremist propaganda in chalk. But these appearances of violent LGBTQ activism are minor compared to the actions and rhetoric of a group called Armed Queers of Salt Lake City, which has been at the center of this radical movement for some time. Describing itself as a socialist, trans-led collective, Armed Queers of Salt Lake City emerged in 2020 with the purpose of combining armed community defense with their far-left Marxist-Leninist and radical LGBTQ ideologies.A recruitment card we obtained says the group is working toward:the armed protection of queer and trans communities, the end of capitalist exploitation, trans liberation from the gender binary, housing as a human right, the abolition of prisons and police, the dismantling of the nonprofit “industrial complex.” In a 2024 interview the group framed its work as defending people it considers endangered from both right-wing vigilantes and the state. At a public event the following year, one member described it plainly as a “queer and trans-led Marxist-Leninist organization.”This is clearly not a normal activism club; it’s an armed political group that resembles a militia. The card makes it explicit: their goal is “armed and militant protection.” And with ties to a tragic shooting at a “No Kings” rally in June of 2025, as well as reports of an FBI investigation into suspected ties to Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk, this group should be setting off alarm bells throughout government and law enforcement agencies.But as we began to investigate this group, one of the most worrying things we discovered was how silent community, state, and federal leaders have been on the issue of organized and armed LGBTQ extremist groups.Charlie Kirk's Assassination: A Wave of AttentionIn the weeks after the September 2025 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, the group scrubbed much of its online presence, its Instagram and other social media pages going dark. Some of it has since flickered back. On September 16, just days after Kirk’s assassination, Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna publicly stated that Armed Queers SLC was under investigation by the FBI as an “extended network related to Charlie’s killer.” The New York Post later confirmed this and added that the probe sought to reveal if Armed Queers and related groups had foreknowledge of the assassination. But as of August 11, 2026, no further information about this FBI investigation has been revealed to the public. Indeed, Armed Queers of Salt Lake City has barely been mentioned at all by community, state, or local journalists and leaders. But even if Armed Queers had no connection to Tyler Robinson, their ongoing activities–including firearms training, vigilante security operations, and even activism trips to Cuba–should be cause for public concern.So we took it upon ourselves to do the job that other Utah journalists and law enforcement agencies are not doing: we are shining a light on the growing trans militia in Utah. Our Look Inside a MeetingOn June 14, journalists from The Cougar Chronicle attended and investigated a formal Armed Queers meeting during Salt Lake City’s Pride Month festivities. The gathering took place inside the Church and State church building, which is now frequently home to pagan and satanic-themed groups and businesses. Along the wall was a line of tables representing the different organizations. Among those groups were: Armed Queers of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Community Bail Fund, Rise SLC, The Brown Berets De West Valley, Queers for Palestine and an oddly adorned table at the end dedicated to COVID-19. Each table had its own set of pamphlets and flyers to hand out to the guests.It was a small, intimate gathering of less than fifty people–at least half of them wearing COVID-19 masks–and a panel of speakers representing the different organizations where they talked about events, history, oppression followed by a Q&A at the end. With mic in hand, our correspondent went and mingled with the representatives at each table–specifically the representatives of Armed Queers SLC.When we inquired about the origins of Armed Queers of Salt Lake City, one female representative said:“So, um, we're a socialist organization that's focused on the support and, um, protection of, uh, oppressed communities with a focus on bearing arms and defense … Armed Queers came about by being armed and being queer because queer inherently is political. And so we wanted to keep the queerness into the armed part, where we're not just a gun group, we're also a queer group that focuses on politics and all the other stuff. And so we wanted to kind of figure out a way to combine all that together to really symbolize who we are…So we want to make sure it's political, not just gun … the gun part is about the protection and the liberation of all of us people.”Exposing ChildrenListening to other conversations, we noticed a lot of emphasis on exposing children to “queerness.” One panelist said, “...I have noticed in the last 25 years a lot of children are going down into our community.”During the panel, the only biologically identifying male–known for doing drag–spoke more about children:“..there was this like school bus of children walking by, and a good chunk at the top were like, ‘oh my gosh, you're beautiful, can we take a picture?’ Like you just don't think about that when you think of students in Utah. You just think that they are their parents, essentially. But children are so amazing. And they want to see things and see growth in the state. So just go to a lot of queer events. How about that?”Materials and LiteratureAt the meeting, Armed Queers handed out various materials and literature including a how-to guide on writing to political prisoners, a request for donations to acquire a firearms instructor and “enroll our comrades” in a public gun range day, and information about the Salt Lake Community Bail Fund. Additionally, they had flyers claiming that the Trump administration is “gearing up for war” by mentioning the arrest of Nicolas Maduro and the ongoing Iran war. They characterized ICE agents as operatives of a fascist regime and handed out books such as The Communist Manifesto.Weapons Training and Trips to CubaAn archive of Instagram posts acquired before Armed Queers took down the page reveals some of the group's normal operations before September of 2025. These activities include monthly firearm training sessions, providing citizen defense for LGBTQ pride events, holding educational forums, and even sending members to Cuba to be trained and participate in the May Day Brigade.When we attended their June 2026 meeting, we learned that these activities are still ongoing and were not entirely ended by the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination. A recent post from founder Ermiya Fanaeian confirms that members affiliated with Armed Queers SLC traveled to Cuba this summer.Links to Other Violent GroupsIn 2023, Armed Queers SLC hosted a workshop with the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club called "Protecting People's Movements: The Rise in Community Defense."
