Understanding Anti-trans Tropes: “Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violence and Extremism” (TIVE)
This entry is part of the GLAAD Guide to Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate and Disinformation, an ongoing project to identify some of the most prevalent and egregious terms, tropes, and concepts that are used to harass, attack, and spread malicious misinformation about LGBTQ people on social media. Learn more here.
*CONTENT WARNING*
The example below includes a hateful term, phrases and imagery.
“Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violence and Extremism” (TIVE)
“Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violence and Extremism” (TIVE) is a common anti-trans trope used by right-wing political figures and media to fearmonger and fuel false narratives about transgender people. As inflammatory rhetoric and hate tropes targeting transgender people are on the rise, it’s critical to recognize that such terms are being deliberately deployed to fearmonger and dehumanize.
This fearmongering trope was manufactured by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project as part of a specious campaign suggesting the FBI should categorize trans people as “domestic terrorists” or “nihilistic violent extremists.” Directly drawing on related false tropes (“trans terrorism” and “gender ideology”), this malicious narrative is entirely unfounded. Research consistently shows that transgender people are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. Perpetuating the false and inflammatory idea that transgender people are violent extremists is part of a broader right-wing strategy enlisting such narratives as a pretense for crackdowns, retracting rights, and fostering an atmosphere of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ animus.
Conclusion
This is just one example of anti-LGBTQ online hate and disinformation. Every term and concept should be evaluated in context. For instance, LGBTQ people and allies may use hashtags with hate terms as counterspeech, or slurs such as “tranny” or “dyke” may be used self-referentially to reclaim them. This guide will be updated on an ongoing basis. Please see the latest GLAAD Social Media Safety Index report for a deeper exploration of the current social media landscape for LGBTQ people, including GLAAD’s recommendations and thought leadership in the field.
How to Report Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate Speech and Harassment
Every major social media platform has policies which prohibit hate and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity. To learn how to report potentially violative content, check out GLAAD’s LGBTQ Digital Safety Guide, which includes basic tips on helping our community be more safe online.
About the GLAAD Social Media Safety Program
As the leading national LGBTQ media advocacy organization, GLAAD is working every day to hold social media platforms, tech, and AI companies accountable, and to secure safer online spaces for LGBTQ people. The GLAAD Social Media Safety Program produces the highly-respected annual Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) and researches, monitors, and reports on a variety of issues facing LGBTQ social media users — with a focus on safety, privacy, and expression.
