Shaley Howard writes this latest attack on transgender people is not only absurd, it’s dangerous…
By Shaley Howard
The FBI is preparing to categorize transgender people as a “violent extremist” threat group in the United States—a move tied to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. This classification would hand Trump yet another tool to escalate his administration’s ongoing attacks on trans communities and individuals. But the danger doesn’t stop there. What’s at stake is not only trans lives, but the safety and freedom of all of us. Now, more than ever, we need our straight, cisgender allies to speak out.
This latest attack on transgender people is not only absurd, it’s dangerous. The data is clear: the overwhelming majority of mass shootings in the U.S. are carried out by far-right extremists and cisgen men—not transgender people. Between 2018 and 2025, only seven mass shootings were committed by transgender individuals. In that same time, at least 4,147 were committed by cisgen people. Cisgen men were responsible for approximately 98% of those shootings, cisgen women about 2%, and less than 1% involved transgender people.
And yet, the Trump administration is considering branding transgender people as “violent extremists.” It’s not only a lie—it’s an intentional distortion. They are weaponizing misinformation, twisting reality to vilify a small, vulnerable community. That is the plan.
Many have already drawn parallels between what we’re witnessing in the U.S. today and the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The Trump administration’s agenda through Project 2025 unmistakably echoes that playbook. And if you’re not yet familiar with those historical parallels, here’s the truth: the Nazis didn’t begin by targeting the mainstream. They began by going after the marginalized and exposed.
The Nazi’s started by dismantling opposition by attacking political opponents and trade unionists, while simultaneously targeting society’s most vulnerable—groups such as disabled people and gay men. The regime dehumanized them, painted them as “enemies of the state,” and labeled them “biologically corrupt.” Sound familiar?
If you’ve visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., you know the story begins in 1930s Germany. The exhibit walks you step by step through how propaganda took hold, how freedoms were stripped away piece by piece. Gay bars and clubs for example were shut down in 1933. Two years later, the Nazis amended Paragraph 175 to criminalize homosexuality even further. The Gestapo created “Pink Lists” of men suspected of being homosexual. That’s how it started—not with mass extermination, but with slow, deliberate erosion of rights. Like a frog in a pot of water, temperature rising until it was too late.
But this time, we do know what’s coming. We have history as a warning, and we have their own roadmap: Project 2025. It’s written down. They are literally telling us what they plan to do.
This is only the beginning—it’s not just about trans people. If history has taught us anything, it’s that authoritarian regimes don’t stop with the first group they target. Once they’ve set the precedent of dehumanization, they expand it. And make no mistake: The Trump regime is coming for anyone who doesn’t fit their narrow vision of America. (Hint: anyone who isn’t white, straight, and cisgender.)
As a masc butch lesbian, I know I could easily be next on the list of so-called “unacceptables.” It’s delusional to think this administration isn’t already setting its sights on the broader LGBTQ+ community. History makes this pattern painfully clear—and Project 2025 only confirms it. Fascist regimes always start with the most vulnerable. Today, that means groups like the homeless, undocumented immigrants, and transgender people.
Right now, there are 996 bills across the United States designed to strip rights from transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Let that number sink in—996 active attempts to legislate away basic human dignity. The rhetoric surrounding these bills has grown so toxic that it is actively fueling violence.
Unfortunately, even within marginalized groups, there is a history of repeating the same exclusionary mistakes. Our own LGB community did this in the late 1990s, when many argued against including the “T” out of fear it would make equality “less palatable.” Decades earlier, in the 1970s, the feminist movement pushed out lesbians—branding them the “Lavender Menace”—because they believed their fight for equality would be stronger without us. In both cases, people sacrificed their own for the illusion of progress.
We cannot afford to repeat the exclusionary mistakes of the past. We must step up—every one of us—and fight for those being persecuted under this Trump regime. Division is the oldest trick in the authoritarian playbook. The more we’re split apart, the easier we are to control. That’s why now, more than ever, we not only need our LGBTQ+ community to come together, we have to have our straight, cisgender allies to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us and fight back.
Nearly every American knows someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community—a sibling, a child, a coworker, a friend. This is the moment to take a stand. Silence will not protect you. In fact, silence is complicity; it harms those already under attack. Even if you don’t know a trans person personally, ask yourself: what have the trans community ever done to me? The answer is nothing. And yet, they are being singled out, scapegoated, and dehumanized as part of Trump’s endgame for absolute power.
Make no mistake: if we let this continue, we are all next. History will not forget where we stood—or whether we stood at all. We need everyone to fight back—not just those currently under attack. Your silence and indifference will not protect you. They only strengthen oppression. Please, step up now.
Here are ways you can help right now: Be loud. Speak up and defend trans people.
Speak out. When anti-trans bills are introduced, don’t stay quiet. Call or email your representatives and let them know you oppose this legislation.
Be visible. Post your support for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights on social media. Silence equals consent. Yes, it can feel intimidating to stand up—but if you wait until they come for you, it will already be too late.
Hold officials accountable. The FBI possibly labeling transgender people as “violent extremists” is terrifying—but remember, many of these anti-trans bills start at the state and local level. Contact your elected officials and demand stronger protections.
Support crisis resources. Since Trump’s 2025 inauguration, LGBTQ+ crisis calls have skyrocketed. Help expand hotlines and support services.
Back pro-LGBTQ+ candidates. Vote, volunteer, and fund campaigns that will fight for equality.
Show up locally. Attend town halls and civic meetings. Make your voice heard.
Donate. Support organizations on the frontlines like The Trevor Project, the ACLU, the Transgender Law Center, and the Human Rights Campaign.
Protest. Join collective action. The next nationwide No Kings March is Saturday, October 18th.
Shaley Howard is the author of the recently released book Excuse Me, Sir! Memoir of a Butch, which received the IPPY Silver Award for excellence in 2024. She’s a small-business owner and an award-winning activist in Portland, Oregon.
POST A COMMENT