Trans community most targeted in anti-LGBTQ+ incidents, GLAAD data shows

Axios

5 days ago

Transgender and gender-nonconforming people were the target of over half of all anti-LGBTQ+ incidents tracked by GLAAD over the last year in a new report.
The big picture: President Trump has singled out the transgender community in several executive orders, jeopardizing federal recognition for people's declared gender identity and access to services like gender-affirming health care.
Meanwhile, ongoing court cases, including one about gender-affirming care for minors before the Supreme Court, could affect LGBTQ+ rights.
Yes, but: The challenges the community face stretch beyond legislation.
GLAAD's new Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker (ALERT) data depicts the threats LGBTQ+ people face in daily life, even as the share of Americans who are part of the community rises.
"When we allow our politicians and our leaders to spread this anti-trans rhetoric, we see the very real impacts of that on the lived experiences of trans people," said Sarah Moore, who runs the tracker for GLAAD.
Driving the news: GLAAD counted more than 930 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents from May 2024 through April 2025, 52% of which targeted transgender and gender nonconforming people, across 49 states and Washington, D.C.
The overall number of incidents is down from GLAAD's prior count, but incidents targeting transgender people were up 14% from the 2023-2024 data.
Tracked violent attacks resulted in 84 injuries and 10 deaths.
The most common incidents GLAAD tracked were protests and rallies. The report also tracks verbal and written threats, assault, vandalism and other criminal and non-criminal incidents.
Moore says the tracker includes "every expression of hate," even if it is not criminal, because "LGBTQ people are going to experience these things as acts of hate, regardless of if they're prosecuted as that."
Zoom in: Incidents targeting state and local governments saw a 57% spike year-over-year.
GLAAD said that coincides with hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the 2025 legislative sessions.
Case in point: Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke understands the double-edged nature of representation: As the first openly transgender member of the state legislature, she's championed LGBTQ+ rights.
But Finke said she's also been the target of lies, harassment and threats.
Her first year in office brought "the most rewarding" professional experiences of her life. But it was "easily ... the worst year, personally, that I've ever had."
While the physical intimidation has eased, she faces the pressure of a national spotlight brought on in part by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's Washington bid, where Trump and others targeted his support for transgender people.
"It is building a civic society and understanding ... that trans involvement, trans presence, is a threat," Finke said. "Either we're too strong for sports or too weak for the military."
This year also brought the murder of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender Minnesota man.
Seven people, including a woman he'd fallen for online, were charged with murder and accused of torturing him for weeks before killing him.
"The truth is that I can tell you how terrible it is for me to be constantly harassed," Finke said. "But our Black trans family are getting murdered."
The bottom line: While Finke notes acts of violence are not directly tied to the Trump administration, his policies and the "language of dehumanization and ... language of eradication" have consequences.
The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
The transgender community needs federal protections, she said, though the odds of legislation passing now are slim. Beyond government action, cultural change must foster a safer environment, Finke added.
"We have to continue to make our stories known," Finke said. "That's going to continue to be hard and create pushback, but ... it's what we have to do."