A new study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has found a correlation between support for transgender medical interventions and a greater willingness to justify political violence.
The preregistered survey of 1,208 American adults found that stronger support for so-called “gender-affirming care” was significantly associated with higher levels of left-wing authoritarianism. The relationship remained even after researchers accounted for participants’ political identity and age.
Researchers examined attitudes toward six examples of political violence, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, arson targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, property destruction, and violence against police.
Across all six scenarios, greater endorsement of the study’s Clinical Gender Affirmation Scale was associated with a higher willingness to justify political violence.
The research was conducted by scholars from Rutgers University, the Manhattan Institute, and the Network Contagion Research Institute. The gender-affirmation scale was developed using positions drawn from major medical and psychological organizations.
The authors suggested that gender ideology could potentially serve as an “ideological accelerant” among people already predisposed toward authoritarian attitudes or political force.
The report also argues that violence associated with gender ideology remains largely understudied, describing the research as an initial attempt to examine whether such beliefs may intersect with pathways toward political radicalization.