Ermiya Fanaeian

Ermiya Fanaeian is a transgender far-left activist, Iranian immigrants' child, and founder of the extremist group Armed Queers Salt Lake City (AQSLC), a militant LGBT and communist collective based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The group combines radical queer activism with armed self-defense and revolutionary anti-capitalist ideology. AQSLC has drawn federal attention due to its inflammatory rhetoric and possible links to political violence, including the 2025 assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Feds investigating trans, online groups in Kirk slay probe. Sep.2025

Background

Fanaeian is the child of Iranian immigrants and previously advocated for gun control through the Utah chapter of March for Our Lives, which she co-founded in 2019. By 2020, she reversed her stance and joined the pro-gun LGBT group Pink Pistols. She later left that group after using its name to promote a radical political agenda, prompting Pink Pistols to disavow her activities.

She then founded Armed Queers Salt Lake City, positioning it as a militant alternative that promotes firearms training, queer liberation, and anti-capitalist revolution. AQSLC self-identifies as a Marxist–Leninist organization and has hosted events combining leftist ideology with gun advocacy.

Ideology and Activities

AQSLC promotes the “armed and combative defense” of queer and trans individuals. Its political platform includes:

• Abolition of the police and prison systems
• Elimination of capitalism
• Trans liberation
• Support for armed resistance against perceived state oppression

AQSLC events often feature Marxist symbols, revolutionary slogans, and references to communist leaders such as Fidel Castro and Vladimir Lenin. In a 2023 event at the University of Utah, flyers depicted a woman wielding an AK-47 with her finger on the trigger. The event was co-hosted with Mecha de U of U, a far-left student organization.

Fanaeian has openly praised the Cuban Revolution and expressed a desire to replicate it in the United States. In a now-deleted video titled “Cuba Report Back,” Fanaeian and another AQSLC member described their admiration for Cuba’s socialist system and revolutionary methods.

Arab-"Palestinian" Activism

Ermiyia Fanaeian celebrating Oct 7 atrocities 10.7.23

AQSLC is active in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and collaborates with anti-Israel organizations. The group has provided "security" at protests, often armed, claiming to protect demonstrators from threats. Fanaeian has linked trans liberation to Palestinian resistance in social media posts and public statements.

She has reposted content glorifying violent resistance and referred to Israel as an extension of “Western colonialism.” Amidst the news on Oct 7 of "Palestinian" Hamas led atrocities, Fanaeian celebrated, by reposting: "my heart sings with faith in the liberation of palestine this morning." Critics point out such statements reflect a growing trend of anti-Western and anti-Israel sentiment among radical leftist groups in the U.S.

FBI Investigation

On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. The shooter, Tyler Robinson, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Robinson, a far-left activist, reportedly expressed radical views and lived with a transgender partner. Ammunition recovered at the scene included pro-LGBT slogans, according to investigators.

Following the incident, the FBI opened an investigation into potential links between Robinson and an "extended network" that may have included AQSLC. The group deleted its Facebook and Instagram accounts shortly after the shooting. Archived posts included revolutionary slogans and calls for violent action.

One now-deleted cover image from AQSLC's Facebook page reportedly read: "Ben Shapiro should be the next one killed." The post was widely condemned and led to renewed calls for federal scrutiny.

Communist Ties

Fanaeian helped organize a reading group affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), which is known for its alignment with authoritarian regimes. PSL has received indirect financial support from Neville Roy Singham, a tech millionaire with documented ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

In her own writings, Fanaeian has stated: “The Party for Socialism and Liberation is not a liberal movement — we are a leftist movement. We are an anti-capitalist movement. We are a working-class revolutionary movement.”

Public Reactions

The emergence of AQSLC has drawn sharp criticism from conservative leaders and law enforcement officials. Commentators warn that the group represents a dangerous trend of ideological extremism masked as social justice. Critics argue that organizations like AQSLC contribute to political polarization and undermine democratic norms through threats of violence and glorification of foreign authoritarian models.

While no charges have been filed against AQSLC or Fanaeian as of September 2025, the group remains under active federal investigation.

See also

• Charlie Kirk
• Ben Shapiro
• Rashida Tlaib
• Zohran Mamdani
• Left-wing extremism
• Antifa