A startling link between transgender ideology and support for left-wing political violence has emerged in research commissioned by the Trump administration.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the study on Wednesday, detailing findings from a survey of 1,208 US adults about gender identity and whether political violence could be justified.
The study, conducted by researchers at Rutgers University, the right-leaning Manhattan Institute and the Network Contagion Research Institute, found that stronger endorsement of so-called 'gender-affirming' clinical positions was substantially associated with higher levels of left-wing authoritarianism.
The authoritarianism questionnaire assessed attitudes such as censorship and coercion to advance left-wing goals, while the gender-affirmation questions covered transgender identities, names, pronouns and parental support.
Respondents also rated whether killing Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk or Brian Thompson, setting fire to ICE buildings, damaging wealthy people's property or attacking police could be justified.
Higher gender-affirmation scores were associated with greater approval of all six acts even after political views were taken into account, although authoritarianism scores showed stronger links.
However, the survey measured attitudes rather than whether people had committed or intended to commit violence, and it could not establish cause and effect.
Admiral Brian Christine, the assistant secretary for health at HHS, said: 'This study raises important questions about what happens when ideology is given the authority of medicine.
The findings come amid public debate over gender identity and several high-profile attacks, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
'The association between sex-rejecting clinical beliefs, authoritarian attitudes, and the justification of political violence warrants serious scientific scrutiny.
'HHS will continue to pursue rigorous research that examines these relationships and gives the American people the evidence they deserve.'
The findings come amid public debate over gender identity and several high-profile attacks, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Turning Point USA founder was taking questions from a crowd at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, when the discussion turned to transgender mass shooters.
‘Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?’ an audience member asked.
‘Too many,’ Kirk replied. The attendee followed up: ‘Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?’
‘Counting or not counting gang violence?’ Kirk responded. Moments later, the 31-year-old was shot in the neck. He died at a local hospital.
His accused killer, Tyler Robinson, allegedly had a romantic relationship with a transgender roommate, according to the New York Post.
The study found individuals who believed in radical gender ideology were more likely to hold left-wing authoritarian beliefs and believe political violence is justified. Above is Kirk's accused killer, Tyler Robinson, who allegedly had a relationship with his transgender roommate
There was also the attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, involving Nicholas Roske, who later identified as a transgender woman, and school shootings in Minnesota and Tennessee carried out by transgender individuals.
The HHS study measured attitudes toward violence and did not establish what motivated those attacks.
Colin Wright, one of the researchers, told the New York Post: ‘One of our study’s most interesting and perhaps shocking findings was that accepting gender ideology appeared to augment authoritarian attitudes on support for political violence.’
‘We believe this may result from gender ideology defining specific oppressed classes and their oppressors, and the promotion of extreme narratives of harm for those who refuse to affirm transgender identities both socially and medically,’ Wright said.
‘That is only speculative at this point, but we are addressing this directly in a follow-up report.’
The researchers created a five-question Clinical Gender Affirmation Scale, or CGAS, using statements adapted from guidance issued by four professional organizations.
Those were the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, World Professional Association for Transgender Health and American Academy of Pediatrics.
Participants rated statements about chosen names and pronouns, supporting transgender expression, parents supporting children's transgender exploration and the psychological risks of refusing affirmation.
There was also the attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, involving Nicholas Roske (pictured), who later identified as a transgender woman
A separate 13-item questionnaire measured authoritarian attitudes, including support for shutting down certain right-wing websites, banning hateful speech on campuses and replacing the established order 'by any means necessary.'
In one statistical model, gender-affirmation scores accounted for 31.5 percent of the variation in authoritarianism scores. That figure describes differences between questionnaire scores, not the percentage of respondents who endorsed violence.
Political identity was the strongest predictor of gender-affirmation scores when researchers considered political views, authoritarianism and age together.
However, authoritarianism remained independently associated with gender-affirmation scores, which the authors interpreted as evidence that their questionnaire captured more than ordinary liberalism.
The correlations between gender-affirmation scores and approval of violence ranged from 0.23 to 0.35, compared with 0.47 to 0.54 for authoritarianism, indicating weaker relationships for the gender measure.
After accounting for political identity, authoritarianism remained associated with approval of every act, while political identity was not a significant predictor for the Kirk killing or violence against police.
The report argued that 'gender ideology may function as an ideological accelerant,' potentially framing political opponents as threats and making violence seem legitimate to people already disposed toward force.
The authors also questioned whether professional bodies had allowed activism to influence clinical recommendations, although the survey did not assess medical outcomes or establish whether the guidance was scientifically justified.
The researchers recruited participants through the online platform CloudResearch Connect and excluded 97 of the original 1,305 responses for reasons including failed attention checks, incomplete answers and suspected automated responses.
The final sample was politically uneven: 55 percent identified as or leaned Democratic, compared with 27.2 percent who identified as or leaned Republican.
Just 1.1 percent were described as transgender or gender nonconforming, underscoring that the research examined beliefs across a broader sample rather than violent behavior among transgender people.
The authors acknowledged competing explanations for their findings. 'The cross-sectional design permits no conclusions about the direction of effects,' the report stated.
