This post discusses transphobia, discrimination, harassment, violence, hate crimes, mental health, and anti-trans misinformation. While no graphic details are included, readers may find these topics distressing.

Before we begin, I should warn you that this post is very different to my recent posts.

I sat at my desk with the intention of jotting down a few thoughts about a very inaccurate claim I had come across and, instead, with several sources, a psychology student’s mind and an excessive amount of determination, I somehow conjured up an essay.

So, if you came here looking for a quick read, I apologise in advance. However, if evidence, analysis and passionate discussion is what you’re looking for, you’re in the right space…

A while ago, I came across a claim that trans people are “violent extremists”. As a trans man, studying psychology, I find this concerning because not only is it untrue, but it reflects well-known psychological and social patterns of fear, scapegoating, and misinformation. I want to take the time to unpack this, not with the frustration I feel but with evidence, analysis and the lived experience of someone who actually lives this reality.

The label “violent extremist” needs careful examination. The label has connotations of terrorism and organised violence. Relating that to the demographic of trans people is to fit identity into threat. It not only implies that being trans is a behaviour, political movement or an ideology, which it is not, but that simply existing as trans is inherently dangerous. This is not only inaccurate but dehumanising. Being trans is an identity, one that thousands of people live quietly daily, while trying to survive in societies that often vilify and misunderstand them.

If we look at the data, it simply does not support that trans people are more prone to extremism or violence. In fact, there is overwhelming evidence demonstrating that trans people are more likely to be victims of violence, than perpetrators. The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, for instance, found that transgender people endure violent victimisation at 2.5 times the rate of cisgender people between 2017 and 2020 (Truman and Morgan, 2022).

Furthermore, the Human Rights Campaign reports at least 335 trans and gender diverse people have been murdered in the United States since 2013, most of whom are Black or Latina trans women (Human Rights Campaign, 2023).

In addition, the Office for National Statistics document that, in the United Kingdom, while data on violence against trans people is insufficient, hate crimes motivated by transgender identity have risen drastically in recent years, with no evidence to suggest that trans people themselves are unreasonably violent (ONS, 2023).

This evidence suggests that trans people are not the threat but rather they are the targets of violence, harassment and structural inequality. So, why is it, then, that the myth remains?

From a psychological standpoint, there are several theories that can explain this pattern. First, moral panic theory (Cohen, 1972) demonstrates that minority groups can become scapegoated throughout periods of social anxiety or rapid change. When society encounters uncertainty, some individuals will project their fear onto the visible groups that represent said change. To label trans people as dangerous or extremists offer an impression of moral order; it directs people to those they should blame for their discomfort.

As explained by Tajfel and Turner (1979) in their social identity theory, people have a natural tendency to favour their ingroup and mistrust their outgroups, especially when they feel their own values are threatened. The prominence of trans people in recent years has contested traditional gender norms, which provokes a defensive reaction amongst those who see this as threatening. When it feels like identity is in danger, people often resolve that tension by condemning it, rather than understanding difference.

Moreover, the media escalates the situation. When a trans person commits a crime, their gender identity is reported as though it is a fundamental aspect of the story in a way that does not and would not happen with cisgender offenders. Isolated cases are exaggerated, stripped of context, and used to tar an entire community. Meanwhile, the daily reality of trans people facing harassment, assault and murder rarely receive the same attention.

This availability bias, a cognitive bias where people overestimate the likelihood of events they hear about often (Tversky and Kahneman, 1973), emphasises false narratives. People will begin to associate trans identity with danger, not because it reflects reality, but because that is what they have been continuously shown.

As a trans man, being depicted as a violent extremist feels unreal and almost silly, because my life, like the lives of most trans people, is not defined by aggression or ideology. Instead, it is the constant effort to be safe, to be seen, and the fight just to be treated as a human that defines my life. I have experienced discrimination, verbal abuse and social exclusion simply for existing. I feel I must check my surroundings before speaking in public, to ensure that I will not be the next target. This is not the behaviour of someone who poses a threat; it is the behaviour of someone who has been made to feel unsafe.

Anger is a natural and healthy response to prolonged injustice (Averill, 1982), yet when trans people express anger or frustration, it is almost always misinterpreted as aggression. Anger is a means of survival, not of violence. In oppressed groups, anger is seldom about causing harm but reclaiming dignity. It is crucial to understand that distinction because to label our annoyance as extremism is to reject the legitimacy of our emotional responses to oppression.

The repercussions of these false narratives are severe. When trans people are depicted as violent, discriminatory laws, invasive surveillance and hostility are justified. Public policy is distorted and mental health worsened. Discrimination and stigma have well established links with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among trans people (Meyer, 2003; McNeil et al., 2012). The more society frames us as dangerous, the more socially isolated and at risk we become, psychologically.

If there is one thing my study of psychology has taught me, it is that perception can shape behaviour even if it does not reflect truth. When a group is repeatedly treated as though it is a threat, people begin to act like it is true. That is why it is crucial to challenge these narratives directly with evidence, empathy and transparency.

I have always been a believer that education is the most powerful antidote to ignorance and misinformation. We require better data on trans experiences, correct media reporting and greater visibility of our real lives. We need allies who will question fear-based rhetoric and call it such. We need to remind people that trans people are just people – human beings – with the same capacity for kindness, vulnerability and growth as anyone else.

So, the next time someone tries to claim that trans people are violent extremists, ask them for their evidence. Ask them for their sources. Ask them why all available research overwhelmingly points trans people out to be victims of violence, rather than perpetrators. Ask them who benefits from spreading fear. Because from what I have learned, through lived experience and my studies, there is nothing extreme about wanting to exist. There is nothing violent about wanting to exist authentically. The real extremism lies in the determination to dehumanise people for simply being who they are.

References (for those who want to read further):

• Averill, J. R. (1982) Anger and Aggression: An Essay on Emotion. New York: Springer-Verlag. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)
• Cohen, S. (1972) Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers. London: MacGibbon and Kee. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)
• Human Rights Campaign (2023) An Epidemic of Violence: Fatal Violence Against Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People in the United States in 2023. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)
• McNeil, J., Bailey, L., Ellis, S., Morton, J. and Regan, M. (2012) Trans Mental Health Study 2012. Edinburgh: Scottish Trans Alliance. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)
• Meyer, I. H. (2003) ‘Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations’, Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), pp. 674–697. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026).
• Office for National Statistics (2023) Transgender Identity and Crime Statistics in England and Wales. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)
• Tajfel, H. and Turner, J. C. (1979) ‘An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict’, in Austin, W. G. and Worchel, S. (eds.) The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole, pp. 33–47. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)
• Truman, J. L. and Morgan, R. E. (2022) Violent Victimization by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, 2017–2020. U.S. Department of Justice. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)
• Tversky, A. and Kahneman, D. (1973) ‘Availability: A Heuristic for Judging Frequency and Probability’, Cognitive Psychology, 5(2), pp. 207–232. Available here (Accessed: 12th June 2026)