Kane County Board Republican’s ‘culture of death’ comments under fire from Democrats, GOP

Amid a national divide over the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Republican Kane County Board member David Young’s comments blaming Democrats and those who identify in the LGBTQ+ community have garnered criticism from both sides of the aisle.

In four committee meetings last week, Young claimed that people who identify as transgender are to blame for multiple recent shootings, a conservative talking point voiced by many, including President Donald Trump.

“The Democratic Party embraces this LGBTQ+ group, including a lot of people here on this Kane County Board,” Young said. “They embrace the culture of death. They embrace evil. I want to know when — when — will this group, this evil group, be denounced by any leader of the Democratic Party.”

The Plato Township resident’s comments were met with sharp rebuke, including by some residents who argued his claims contributed to harmful and divisive falsehoods.

Young repeated his message during public comments at the Energy and Environmental and Jobs committees on Friday and at the Public Health Committee on Wednesday.

During Friday’s Jobs Committee meeting, Young added that no one higher up in government such as Gov. JB Pritzker has “taken a stance against this senseless evil. It has to be called out.”

Among several who countered Young were Geneva resident Patricia Miller, who spoke at Thursday’s Public Service Committee.

Miller said Young’s comment “was demeaning, hateful and filled to the brim with fallacies and propaganda.”

Miller cited statistics from the Gun Violence Archive for 2018 to 2025, indicating seven of the 4,147 mass shootings in the U.S. involved transgender or nonbinary perpetrators.

“That represents 0.017% of all incidents,” Miller said. “That leaves over 4,100 mass shootings that involved cisgender (straight) individuals, the majority of whom are white men.”

Others said Young’s comments made them feel unsafe.

“I struggle to feel safe where some of the people in charge think I’m part of a culture of death,” Batavia resident Cana Clark said.

County board members Michael Linder, a St. Charles Democrat, and Mavis Bates, a Democrat from Aurora, also countered Young’s comments.

Bates said she believes Young’s comments are part of a far-right conservative “war on trans people” and to deflect criticism from gun control advocates.

“Mass shooters are overwhelmingly straight men,” Bates said. “There is no wave of LGBTQ+ or trans violence.”

Leaders of both the Kane County GOP and Democrats said they disagreed with Young’s comments.

“No matter who they are, we condemn violence,” Kane Democratic Chairman Mark Guethle said. “Democrats are strongly opposed to any political violence, no matter who does it. We need to be able to discuss without having any violence.”

Guethle, who is also president of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association, said the group put out a news release the day Kirk was shot.

“Let me be perfectly clear: nothing justifies the horrific violence we saw today,” Guethle said in the release. “While we may never have agreed with Charlie Kirk, there is never an excuse for violence.”

Kane GOP Chairman Andro Lerario said he also disagrees with Young’s comments.

“Stop the damn labels already,” Lerario said. “It does not matter who does it — it needs to stop.”

“We should be able to come together and condemn violence as a whole,” he added. “We need to be able to come together and talk to each other.”

Young responded to his critics Thursday, saying he was just coming forward with what he believes are facts.

“When you come up here and say I have all of this hate — I’m feeling nothing but hate from you guys. So, what I’m bringing here are the facts,” Young said.