The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has placed Armed Queers Salt Lake City (SLC) under intense scrutiny, with the group’s name surfacing in federal investigations. Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University last week. His alleged assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested hours later.The FBI is now probing whether Robinson acted alone or as part of a wider network. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News that investigators are looking into “multiple warning signs” and whether others might have aided or encouraged Robinson. “We’ll also be dropping a lot of subpoenas out there,” Bongino said, suggesting the bureau is testing possible links to online groups and activist circles.
Political pressure and unanswered questions
Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has directly linked Armed Queers SLC to Robinson, alleging the group is now under FBI investigation as an “extended network” tied to the killing. She further raised questions about funding links between the group’s affiliations and left-wing benefactors. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has said Robinson was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” though authorities have not confirmed any direct organisational ties. The FBI continues to investigate whether Robinson’s politics and online associations played a role in his decision to target Kirk, with Bongino describing the attack as “an ideologically motivated assassination.”As scrutiny intensifies, Armed Queers SLC’s sudden disappearance from social media has only fuelled speculation about its activities and influence.
A radical group with armed roots
Armed Queers SLC, which deleted its Instagram account days after the assassination, was founded in 2021 by activist Ermiya Fanaeian. The group grew out of a split with the Pink Pistols, a national LGBT firearms group, after disagreements over political messaging. Fanaeian, previously active with March for Our Lives, repositioned Armed Queers as a militant socialist collective, describing it as committed to defending queer communities from “right-wing vigilantes and state violence.”In a 2024 interview with Voyage Utah, the group described itself as a “socialist queer organisation” that sought to combine community defence with political education, campaigning on issues ranging from Palestine to corporate sponsorship of Pride. “No challenge will outweigh our persistence for our struggles,” the group said.Reports from Young America’s Foundation in 2023 show the group hosted campus lectures on “queer resistance” and the dismantling of “cis-heteropatriarchy,” while also posting photos of firearms training online.
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