Scroll To Top
Crime

52% of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks targeted transgender and gender nonconforming people

Corona Queens latino transgender community memorial for trans people killed across America
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Memorial for transgender people killed across America by the Queens latino trans community, Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York, November 2023.

There were 932 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents between May 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025 – equal to 2.5 incidents every day, according to GLAAD.

We need your help
Your support makes The Advocate's original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Become a member today to help us continue this work.

Transgender and gender non-conforming people were the targets of over half the incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ harassment, vandalism, threats, and assault reported in the past year, a new report has found.

Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.

There were 932 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents between May 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025 – equal to 2.5 incidents every day, according to the third annual report from the ALERT Desk, GLAAD’s Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker. Violent attacks accounted for 84 injuries and 10 deaths.

Trans and gender non-conforming people were the targets of 485 (52 percent) of the 932 incidents, marking a 14 percent increase from last year's data. These cases of assault and harassment coincide with Donald Trump's anti-trans executive orders, the report notes, as well as his $212 million ad campaign attacking trans people during the 2024 election.

“This year, rollbacks in LGBTQ visibility and challenges to our rights are coupled with a sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and disinformation across social media and political campaigns" GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. "The result is a divisive cultural climate that comes at a cost."

State and local government, including elected officials and city council members, were the targets of 181 incidents, up 57 percent from 2023-2024. Students, teachers, professors, administrative staff, and librarians were the targets of 270 incidents – mostly at school board meetings – up 10 percent from last year.

In contrast, 83 incidents targeted drag performers and venues, including 16 bomb threats and four assaults, marking a 55 percent decrease from 2023-2024. Pride flags and other LGBTQ+ symbols were the targets of 208 incidents, down 25 percent from the previous year.

"Data from GLAAD’s ALERT Desk shows the need for an urgent response," Ellis continued. "90 percent of non-LGBTQ Americans believe that the LGBTQ community deserves to live free from violence and discrimination. It’s only through awareness, collective action, and community that we can turn the tide toward greater safety and acceptance.”

Out / Advocate Magazine - Alan Cumming and Jake Shears

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Ryan Adamczeski

Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Her first cover story, "Meet the young transgender teens changing America and the world," has been nominated for Outstanding Print Article at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards. In her free time, Ryan likes watching the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.
Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Her first cover story, "Meet the young transgender teens changing America and the world," has been nominated for Outstanding Print Article at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards. In her free time, Ryan likes watching the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.