Why Creating A New Terrorism Category For Transgender Violence Matters

The FBI needs to take action to protect the American public from this growing threat of violent attacks inspired by transgender ideology, a brief from the Oversight Project says. 

The investigative group argues that attacks inspired by transgender ideology should be designated as domestic terrorism so federal law enforcement can more effectively counteract the threats. This designation would allow the FBI to utilize “sophisticated investigative technique[s]” to prevent future transgender-inspired attacks, the brief says. 

“The United States has seen a recurring pattern of extreme violence committed by perpetrators that appear to have been acting in furtherance of a radical transgender ideology,” the Oversight Project writes. 

“The statements made by the perpetrators and their supporters show that individuals that espouse to this ideology use violence as a means to intimidate Christians and other groups in their exercise of 1st Amendment-protected speech and religious practice, coerce the population into believing there is more than two genders, and silence Americans that do not espouse to their ideology,” they add. 

Recent months have seen at least two major attacks that appear to be tied to transgender ideology, including the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and the August attack on a Minneapolis Catholic school by a transgender-identifying man. In light of these attacks, the Oversight Project said that a new “Domestic Terrorism Threat Category” called Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violent Extremism (TIVE) should be created. 

The Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violent Extremism (TIVE) category would apply to those who believe that opposition to transgender ideology is a threat to the right to exist of transgender-identifying individuals, that this fear justifies violence, and that violent action should be taken or promoted based on this belief. 

The designation would allow for the deployment of more human resources, undercover operations, and database searches to prevent future transgender-inspired violence. 

“TIVE violence has particularly focused upon Christian institutions and individuals that the TIVEs believe subscribe to paradigms that are in contradiction to and inherently irreconcilable with transgender ideology,” the brief said. 

This category would join others currently used by the FBI, including racial extremism, anti-government extremism, and abortion extremism. 

Over the past few years, transgender-identifying shooters have attacked two Christian schools, leaving behind writings demonstrating their hatred of Christianity. In March 2023, a transgender-identifying woman attacked the Covenant School in Nashville, murdering three students and three adults. Last month, a transgender-identifying man attacked the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, leaving two children dead and many more injured.

Kirk’s assassination also appears to have been motivated in part by his opposition to transgender ideology. 

Tyler Robinson, the suspected assassin of Kirk, wrote in a text message to his transgender-identifying boyfriend that he “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” according to text messages released by the FBI. 

Additionally, as The Daily Wire reported last week, the man who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh identifies as a woman, according to court documents. That attempt was motivated by the leak of a draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. 

The Oversight Project notes that TIVE adherents are often steeped in far-left online communities where violence is encouraged. 

“This digital infrastructure provides anonymous networks for grooming and coordinating, turning isolated resentment into organized threats, exemplified by the radicalization of figures like Tyler Robinson, who allegedly assassinated Charlie Kirk over views on transgender issues after immersion in leftist online forums,” they wrote. 

Recent reporting shows that the Trump administration shares similar concerns with the Oversight Project about the rise of transgender-inspired violence. The Daily Wire reported earlier this month that there have been low-level discussions at the Justice Department about a potential ban on transgender-identifying individuals owning guns. 

On Sunday, President Donald Trump told The Daily Wire his administration was “very strongly” looking at the problem of transgender violence. 

“You know, we’re looking at that,” he responded. “But we’re looking at it very strongly. Something seems to be going on.”