If radical Islam was terror, why isn’t transgender extremism?

In 2016, Donald Trump blasted President Obama for refusing to use the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism.” Trump argued that any leader unwilling to name America’s enemy lacked the moral clarity to defend the nation and serve as president. He was right then — and he’s right now.

Today, America faces another threat that must be called by its name: transgender ideology-inspired violence and extremism. The Oversight Project is calling on the FBI to formally designate TIVE as domestic terrorism. We urge every American to demand the same. Political correctness cannot be allowed to obscure a growing danger.

Twenty-four years after 9/11, we should know better than to ignore clear warning signs.

The need has never been clearer. Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a man steeped in TIVE ideology, as indicated by the shell casings, text messages, his homosexual relationship with a man claiming to be transgender, and other obvious indicators. Online communities of TIVE adherents continue celebrating the murder. Federal investigators are now probing groups that appear to have had foreknowledge of the attack.

That assassination was not an isolated event. In August, Robert Westman fired through the windows of Annunciation Catholic Church, gunning down parishioners and killing two children. In May, Jared Ravizza stabbed six people, including children, in a Massachusetts movie theater. In 2023, Audrey Hale killed six at the Covenant School. And in 2022, Nicholas Roske, a man who identified as a transgender woman, attempted to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

This list barely scratches the surface. The pattern is clear: TIVE adherents treat disagreement as violence. Anyone who refuses to affirm their delusions becomes an enemy whose mere existence justifies reprisal. From that warped premise, violent acts naturally follow.

Why a federal designation matters

A domestic terrorism designation would give the FBI the tools to map networks, deploy undercover operations, and share intelligence with state and local agencies. The federal definition of domestic terrorism already covers the tactics TIVE adherents employ — assassination, mass shootings, intimidation, and coercion.

Other categories already exist, from racially motivated extremism to animal rights terrorism. TIVE qualifies under the same standard, and its record of violence suggests it could soon eclipse those groups in lethality.

Anticipating the pushback

The left will accuse us of labeling all transgender people as terrorists. That is false. TIVE does not mean transgender identity itself — it means adopting an ideology that frames disagreement as violence and legitimizes retaliation. One need not be transgender to adopt TIVE, as the suspected assassin Tyler Robinson illustrates.

The politically correct right will take another route. Fearing criticism, they will prefer vague labels that blunt the truth. Just this week, FBI Director Kash Patel unveiled a catch-all category designed to offend no one: “nihilistic violent extremism.” But TIVE does not fit. These attackers do not believe life is meaningless. They believe in a utopia purged of ideological opponents. That is not nihilism. That is fanaticism.

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Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

As Trump said: If you cannot define your enemy, you are not fit to lead.

Some may argue that Trump’s designation of Antifa as a terrorist group on Wednesday already addresses this threat. But Antifa represents a broader spectrum of anarchist and far-left ideologies. TIVE stands apart. It grows out of transgender ideology and channels rage into acts of targeted violence, often against Christians and conservatives.

America can, and does, face multiple domestic terror movements at once.

Time for political will

Twenty-four years after 9/11, we should know better than to ignore clear warning signs. If jihadists with Arabic last names had carried out the recent wave of attacks, Washington would be in crisis mode. Instead, we get euphemisms and excuses.

This problem can be solved. But only if leaders show the political will to act. Designating TIVE as domestic terrorism would allow law enforcement to disrupt networks before they strike again. It would send a clear message: America will not tolerate ideologies that sanctify violence.

Until that happens, every church service, every school day, and every public gathering risks becoming the next target. Naming the enemy is the first step to defeating it.