What was meant to be a day of symbolism — No Kings Day — has now become a day of mourning.

Two respected public servants, Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home.

In a separate but clearly coordinated attack, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were also shot. Both are alive, but in critical condition.

This was a political assassination.

Let’s call it what it is. And let’s also be clear: it failed.

Whoever did this — or fueled it — did not stop democracy.

They ignited it.

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Even in my tiny hometown in Montana — the place my partner and I had to leave for simply being gay — they’re speaking up.

They’re participating in No Kings Day.

And they’re not doing it as a political statement, but as a plea to save democracy itself.

Their concern? The eroding of checks and balances. The growing boldness of extremism. The absence of accountability.

This isn’t about partisanship.

This is about whether a democracy can survive when dissent is met with bullets.

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What happened in Minnesota is horrific. But if anything, it proved just how dangerous fear is — and how vital courage must now become.

Whoever pulled the trigger has stirred up a hornet’s nest of conscience — and it won’t be silenced.

We will grieve. But we will not cower.

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I ask of you:

🔸 Honor the fallen with your words, your votes, your truth.

🔸 Stand for nonviolence — not just in action, but in the way we speak, organize, and resist.

🔸 But do something. Say something. Let this not pass as just another headline.

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This isn’t just No Kings Day.

This is a national wake-up call.

🕯️ We lost two voices.

So it’s on us to become louder.

Wiser. Kinder. And unshakably committed to never letting fear win.

This is Oddly Robbie. I’m with you.