‘I wish I never brain-washed myself’: Minnesota school shooter had trans regret

"I wish I never brain-washed myself," he said in his manifesto. He also said he "was tired of being trans." Westman further complained about his long hair, wanting to cut it but not wanting to be humiliated.

"I am sick of my hair," he wrote. "I want to chop it off. I only keep it because it is pretty much my last charade of being trans. I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself. I can’t cut my hair off now as it would be an embarrassing defeat, and it might be a concerning change of character that could get me reported."

"It just always gets in my way," he continued. I will probably chop it on the day of the attack," Westman said. "I don’t want to dress girly all the time but I guess sometimes I really like it. I know I am not a woman but I definitely don’t feel like a man," he said.

The 2020 form read that the "minor child," Westman, "identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification." It was signed by Westman's parents as well as a judge of the district court. The standard language on the form reads "The change of name is in the best interest of the minor child."

Westman attended the Annunciation School, which goes from K-8. His mother worked at the school, retiring in 2021. Westman also worked at a cannabis dispensary. He had "kill Donald Trump" written on a gun magazine and his manifesto said he hated God. The attack was planned. His notes referenced other school shooters, like the Covenant School shooter in Nashville, the Columbine killers, and other killers like Luigi Mangione.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, pundit Jen Psaki, and others all warned that people should not use this incident to say anything mean about the "trans community." CNN, NYT, and other networks all hedged about his being trans, using female pronouns for the man who was wracked with trans regret.

Minnesota is a trans "sanctuary" state after a bill passed in 2023 sponsored by Rep. Leigh Finke, a trans-identified male who was honored as "Woman of the Year" by USA Today, and Sen. Erin Maye Quade, who also identifies as LGBTQIA+. That law allows minors from any state to come to Minnesota to obtain sex changes without parental consent or notification. "The law gives Minnesota courts jurisdiction in most situations where a child is present in Minnesota for the purpose of obtaining gender-affirming care.