Someone needs to update the spellchecker. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has apparently invented a new word. The word is “transfemicide.” Johnson spent part of the weekend reminding residents that Chicago remains under a “Transfemicide State of Emergency.”

For too many transgender Chicagoans, the sense of belonging they deserve in their city has been denied by exclusion and barriers to opportunity in spaces that should feel safe and welcoming. Since declaring a Transfemicide State of Emergency, our administration has strengthened… https://t.co/kJThl0CvHj

— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) June 21, 2026

We’re just making up words now.

The term itself appears to have originated in activist and academic circles in Latin America before eventually making its way into reports, advocacy campaigns, and now Chicago City Hall. Apparently somebody decided America was not producing activist jargon quickly enough and started importing it.

People roll their eyes at terms like “transfemicide” because they have seen this routine before. Sex became gender. Illegal aliens became undocumented immigrants. Homeless became unhoused. Mothers became birthing persons.

The problem is that Chicago residents do not have the luxury of living in an activist glossary.

Unfortunately for Johnson, Chicago residents are already familiar with another word.

Crime.

40 people shot, 8 killed in Chicago over this Fathers Day/Juneteenth weekend

Reminder: This is Nixon’s fault pic.twitter.com/KsHFBNA8jc

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 22, 2026

This “state of emergency” has apparently been around since 2024. Johnson is simply renewing it in 2026. Conveniently, that puts the spotlight on activist causes rather than the far more visible violence that continues to plague Chicago neighborhoods.

While the mayor was busy promoting his “Transfemicide State of Emergency,” Chicago was dealing with a much more familiar problem. Over the Juneteenth weekend, dozens of people were shot and multiple people were killed. The victims did not need a newly invented category.

🚨 NEVER FORGET: JB Pritzker went on Jimmy Kimmel and MOCKED crime in Chicago

This Father’s Day weekend: 22+ shot, 4 killed in Chicago.

Trump has repeatedly offered to help clean it up.

But they call him “racist” while more blood spills in another Democrat-run city. pic.twitter.com/UfTiNkUpyT

— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) June 21, 2026

Chicago has a violence problem. Brandon Johnson has a vocabulary problem. Residents want safer streets. The mayor is busy introducing words that sound like rejected sociology dissertations. One of those priorities makes sense. The other belongs in a faculty lounge.

Johnson’s latest declaration also caught the attention of Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, who suggested the Department of Justice may take a closer look at how Chicago is implementing these policies.

Harmeet Dhillon slams Mayor Brandon Johnson over his allegations of “transfemicide” in Chicagohttps://t.co/xeqnoYB2IY

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 22, 2026

Her point is a simple one. Government programs are supposed to serve citizens equally. If Chicago is using this framework to prioritize government resources, benefits, hiring decisions, or legal protections based on gender identity, questions about equal protection are inevitable.

The law does not contain a special category for politically favored groups. At least not yet.

Chicago Doesn’t Need A Glossary

Chicago residents do not need another activist framework, another task force, another declaration, or another freshly invented word.

They need fewer people getting shot.

Johnson is free to spend his time promoting “transfemicide” and renewing emergencies that never seem to expire. The rest of Chicago is still waiting for City Hall to show the same urgency toward the violence affecting everyone else.

Chicago’s latest emergency may be a word nobody can define. The real emergency is much easier to understand.

The Activist Infrastructure Expands

Johnson’s focus on “transfemicide” is not happening in isolation. Earlier this month, CBS Chicago profiled Antonio King, the city’s first executive-level Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs, a position created by Johnson’s administration.

King explained that his new role gives LGBTQ policy “a louder voice at more tables” inside City Hall. He discussed expanding programs for LGBTQ seniors, supporting LGBTQ-focused initiatives in public schools, and helping shape city policy.

In other words, “transfemicide” is not just another piece of activist jargon. It is part of a broader effort to embed identity politics deeper into city government.

Chicago residents may reasonably wonder whether City Hall needs another executive-level office devoted to identity advocacy while the city continues to struggle with violent crime, budget problems, and public safety concerns.

The city apparently has money for new executive-level diversity positions, new frameworks, new reports, and new emergency declarations. Residents are still waiting for fewer shootings.

Feature Image: AI-generated illustration.