(Originally posted 1/8/25)
- Social media accounts with a history of anti-transgender rhetoric frequently and falsely accuse transgender people of crimes, particularly during mass shooting events, before facts are known.
- There is no evidence of escalating violence committed by LGBTQ people. Extremism and domestic terrorism experts tell PolitiFact that there are no widespread threats of growing radicalization or violence from the transgender population.
- According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), there were 5,748 mass shootings between Jan 1, 2013 and September 15, 2025 in the U.S. Of that number, there have been five confirmed transgender shooters, GVA told FactCheck.org. That means that transgender individuals were responsible for less than 0.1% of incidents over that time period.
- Accusing people from a small and vulnerable community of mass shooting crimes is an effort to further dehumanize, demonize, and promote fear about transgender and nonbinary people.
- Despite being less than 2% of the U.S. adult population, transgender people are four times as likely to be victims of crime. GLAAD’s ALERT Desk has tracked more than 2,100 anti-LGBTQ incidents from June 2022 – December 2024, including 750+ incidents specifically targeting transgender and nonbinary people.
- Baseless claims about a suspect’s gender identity circulate while there’s national attention on the event, but before there are confirmed key details. When evidence is released showing the suspect was cisgender, inaccurate posts about the suspect’s transgender identity often remain up and continue spreading unverified, dangerous tropes.
- Far-right extremism is increasing and surpasses terrorism committed by others, Politifact reports. These groups tend to engage in violence that often targets LGBTQ people, and promotes anti-LGBTQ views.
- A 2023 Reuters Fact Check confirms that mass shootings, for example, are overwhelmingly carried out by cisgender men in the U.S.
TERMS TO AVOID:
- “Trans Terrorism” – There is no evidence that one’s transgender or nonbinary identity fuels extremist attacks or leads to violence.
- See also and avoid: “Trans Terror,” “Trans Violence,” “Trans Extremism,” “Trantifa.”
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