Did the fbi label trans right activists as terrorists

Checked on February 1, 2026
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Executive summary

There is no public, formal FBI designation that categorically labels transgender rights activists as “terrorists”; what exists in reporting is a concerted campaign from conservative groups — notably the Heritage Foundation and its Oversight Project connected to Project 2025 — pressing the FBI and the Trump administration to create a new domestic-terrorism category called “Transgender Ideology‑Inspired Violent Extremism” (TIVE), and multiple outlets and advocates report the administration has at least discussed such steps [1] [2] [3].

1. The campaign on the table: who is pushing TIVE and what they propose

A public petition and memo circulated by the Heritage Foundation and its Oversight Project calls on the FBI to create a TIVE designation and describes it broadly enough that critics say it could encompass much mainstream transgender advocacy — the memo frames certain rhetoric that argues anti‑trans laws are themselves violent as potentially extremist and urges use of surveillance, network mapping, and other law‑enforcement tools against purported TIVE adherents [4] [5] [6].

2. Reporting vs. formal agency action: proposals mistaken for policy

Multiple outlets reported the push and warned the administration was contemplating or preparing such classifications, with investigative pieces saying senior officials were discussing designating transgender people or related activism as violent extremists; however, those reports document proposals and internal discussions rather than evidence of an enacted, agency‑wide FBI label officially applied to trans activists [3] [2] [1].

3. What advocates and civil‑rights groups say the real impact would be

LGBTQ and civil‑liberties organizations — including GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, Transgender Law Center and others — uniformly warned that adopting a TIVE category would alarmingly expand surveillance and prosecutorial powers against an already vulnerable community and could chill protected speech and organizing, arguing the proposal effectively reframes civil‑rights advocacy as a national‑security threat [7] [8] [9].

4. The proponents’ framing and political context

Proponents tied to Project 2025 and conservative networks argue the designation targets a purported ideology that they allege motivates violence, and they insist the proposal would not label all transgender individuals as terrorists — language that appears in the memo — but critics say that caveat is hollow because the memo’s definition of TIVE could sweep in ordinary advocacy [5] [10].

5. Questions of evidence and motive: what reporting finds about the claim of rising “trans” violence

Independent reporting and fact‑checking cited in the coverage show the statistical and factual basis for claiming trans people are an increasing source of mass violence is thin; outlets like WIRED and analysis quoted in reporting criticize Heritage’s use of dubious data and note researchers find transgender people are far more often victims than perpetrators, undermining the core empirical case for a unique TIVE threat [2] [11] [12].

6. Bottom line: did the FBI label trans rights activists as terrorists?

Based on the available reporting, the FBI has not publicly issued a formal, implemented designation that labels trans rights activists as terrorists; rather, there is a well‑documented effort by Project 2025 affiliates and sympathetic officials to push for a TIVE category, and news outlets and advocates report the administration has considered or prepared measures — an important distinction between advocacy or internal planning and a finalized FBI policy [4] [3] [1].

7. Why this matters and the competing narratives at play

The debate pivots on competing framings: proponents present a security rationale and call for preemptive tools, while critics warn the move echoes historic abuses (e.g., COINTELPRO) and could criminalize dissent; the organizations behind the packet have clear political agendas tied to Project 2025 and conservative social-policy goals, and that context shapes both the push and the alarm it provokes [6] [13] [9].

Want to dive deeper?
Has the FBI ever designated a domestic political ideology or civil‑rights movement as a terror category before?
What legal protections exist to prevent the FBI from surveilling advocacy groups under a new domestic‑terrorism label?
What evidence do proponents of a TIVE designation cite, and how have independent fact‑checkers evaluated those claims?