A Wyoming transgender woman is facing two felony charges after drawing a firearm during an altercation she says began with anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans slurs.
Ríhanna Kelver, a bartender and trans rights advocate in Laramie, has been charged with aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent following a 13 September 2025 confrontation outside the Crowbar & Grill, where she worked.
If convicted on both charges, Kelver could face up to 15 years in prison.
According to The Laramie Reporter, Kelver says one man in a group across the street began shouting homophobic and transphobic insults at her before allegedly shoving her to the ground in a downtown crosswalk.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators reportedly shows Kelver being pushed to the ground before she drew a handgun, racked it to put a live round in the chamber, and pointed it at the man.
Kelver has maintained that she never intended to fire the weapon. She says the safety remained engaged, her finger was not on the trigger, and that she drew the firearm because she feared for her safety after finding herself alone, injured from landing on her tailbone, and facing multiple people.
At a preliminary hearing on 26 May, an Albany County judge ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for the case to move forward to district court.
Kelver’s attorney argued that her actions were protected under Wyoming law, which permits the use of reasonable force in self-defence.
Prosecutors countered that the evidence met the threshold needed to pursue felony charges. The judge noted that Kelver’s self-defence claim can still be argued at trial.
The case has drawn attention because the man who allegedly pushed Kelver to the ground has not been charged.
Kelver, who has previously spoken out against anti-trans legislation in Wyoming, said she plans to continue fighting the charges and hopes the legal process will ultimately show that her actions were a response to a credible threat.
“My hope is that the truth of the situation prevails,” Kelver told The Laramie Reporter.
“My hope is that I am found not guilty, and that we get to pursue genuine justice for what happened to me.”
The case is now expected to continue in district court, where questions around self-defence, public safety and anti-trans harassment will likely remain central.
