In the aftermath of the deadly 2023 shooting at Tennessee’s Covenant School, in which a transgender-identifying shooter killed six at the Christian school, Democrat Aftyn Behn said that her sympathies were with the transgender community.
Behn, now running to represent the Nashville area in Congress, said the aftermath of the shooting was “incredibly upsetting” for her family — because of the anger directed at the “trans communities.”
“So, for those of you who don’t know, my partner has a trans son, and the month of April and the final week of March was incredibly upsetting for us,” Behn said in a July 31, 2023, candidate forum, just months after the massacre. “In the wake of the Covenant shooting, and the disclosure that the Covenant shooter was trans, I was pulled into a chat with other trans organizers and activists across the state that were fearful of their lives.”
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Behn said the shooting inspired her to run for office to fight “every day” for “protections for trans kids and our trans communities.” She said she was specifically inspired to fight back against The Daily Wire, and specifically Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, because the company is based in Nashville.
“Every legislative session, I promise to carry a ‘trans bill of rights’ so that we can push back against the far-right narrative that is being emanated by Matt Walsh and The Daily Wire, who have set up their home in Nashville,” Behn said. “I promise to do that, and I promise to fight for the trans community.”
WATCH:
WATCH: This is how Democrat Aftyn Behn responded to the Covenant shooting, when a trans-identifying woman killed six at the Christian school.
It inspired Behn’s first run for office…so she could fight to protect “trans communities” and against Daily Wire and @MattWalshBlog. pic.twitter.com/th13e1v6dW
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 24, 2025
Behn, who is running against Republican Matt Van Epps in a special election next Monday, has indeed fought for far-left positions since she was elected that year, especially on transgender issues. For example, Behn opposed a parental rights law that would make schools notify parents about their child’s “trans identity.” She called it an attack on “vulnerable kids” who are “just trying to make it out of middle school alive.”
The Democrat is also on record opposing a law that would protect minors from drag shows. Behn insisted the law “isn’t about protecting kids” but about “spreading fear and division.”
READ MORE: Why Creating A New Terrorism Category For Transgender Violence Matters
Behn and Van Epps are fighting for the congressional seat vacated by House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green earlier this year. Democrats are loading money into the district, in hopes of flipping a reliably Republican district. Her leftist views, many of which she’s been forced to run away from, are emerging as a serious impediment.
Even on MS NOW, the liberal network formerly known as MSNBC, Behn was called out this weekend for her past policy positions, including that the Nashville police department should be disbanded and that burning down a police station is justified. She declined to back away from either statement.
Holy crap, the Democrat nominee for Tennessee’s 7th district — parts of Nashville, Franklin & beyond, my congressional district — called for shutting down Nashville’s police department & burning down police stations. Go vote for Matt Van Epps on Monday: pic.twitter.com/lNaR30e91N
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 24, 2025
Behn has also taken heat for trashing Nashville, which she supposedly wants to represent in Congress.
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it,” she said in an unearthed podcast clip posted this past week.
Related: Music City Fumble: Dem Candidate Said She Hates City She Wants To Represent In Congress
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