Justice Department Funds Study on Gender Dysphoria, Violence

The National Institute of Justice announced up to $1 million in grants for research into violence committed by people diagnosed and treated for gender dysphoria.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Sex Crimes

Justice Department Funds Study on Gender Dysphoria, Violence

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Should the federal government fund research into whether gender dysphoria is linked to violent crime?

The National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the Justice Department, announced last month a funding notice of up to $1 million for studies into violence committed by people diagnosed and treated for gender dysphoria. The notice follows a Department of Health and Human Services report linking gender-affirming care to support for political violence.

Why it matters

The announcement comes after the administration cut funding for research into hate-fueled and extremist violence more than a year earlier, and a White House counter-terrorism report this year included transgender ideologies in its approach to violence. Critics and researchers have questioned the framing, as the vast majority of mass shootings in the United States have been carried out by cisgender people.

The NIJ announced a funding notice of up to $1 million for studies into violence linked to gender dysphoria, while the HHS report's underlying survey of about 1,200 adults has not been independently analyzed. Lawyers for Good Government sent HHS a correction request last month, and the requested corrections have not been publicly resolved.

The players

National Institute of Justice

The research arm of the US Department of Justice, which announced the funding notice for studies into violence linked to gender dysphoria.

Department of Health and Human Services

The federal department whose report linked gender-affirming care to support for political violence.

Zane McNeill

Staff attorney at Lawyers for Good Government who requested corrections to the HHS report.

The details

The HHS report was authored by researchers from Rutgers University, the Manhattan Institute and the Network Contagion Research Institute. Some transgender and non-binary people have committed mass shootings, including at Annunciation Catholic school in Minneapolis, Club Q in Colorado Springs, and Tumbler Ridge elementary school in British Columbia.

September 2025: Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, and rightwing influencers blamed transgender ideology.
More than a year before the notice: the administration cut funding for research into hate-fueled and extremist violence.
This year (2026): a White House counter-terrorism report included transgender ideologies in its approach to violence.
Last month (October 2026): the NIJ announced the funding notice, and staff attorney Zane McNeill sent HHS a letter requesting corrections to the report.

Legal Context

The funding announcement follows the administration's earlier decision to cut research into hate-fueled and extremist violence, shifting federal attention toward a different category of perpetrator. Mass shooting data showing that most such attacks are carried out by cisgender people remains the central point of contention in the debate.

Federal research priorities shape which types of violence receive government study and funding, which can influence future policy and public safety measures. Readers following debates over crime data may want to examine the underlying survey and statistics once independent analysis is available.

The takeaway

Federal funding decisions determine which questions about violence receive official study, so the underlying data and methods behind any report deserve close examination before drawing conclusions.