So, there’s no anti-trans epidemic? Deadly violence isn’t the only danger | Opinion
David Mastio’s recent commentary about anti-transgender violence uses data from my organization showing how many trans people are killed without fully considering the threats trans people face and will face as hostile laws are enacted targeting things most of us take for granted — such as identity documents that accurately reflect who we are, and access to basics such as safe restrooms. It is a missed opportunity to explore what is really happening and how we can ensure everyone has a chance to succeed.
Mastio misuses studies from the Human Rights Campaign and A4TE, Advocates for Trans Equality, that track fatal violence against transgender people every year. Each statistic is a human being who deserved a chance to be themselves, be accepted as they are and, above all, be safe. Statistics are only part of the story. They are likely an undercount given how often trans people are misidentified, misgendered and otherwise not recognized for their authentic identity in life and in death. Because of this fact, the report by A4TE clearly states that year-over-year comparisons cannot be made from these data, as Mastio tries to do.
Deadly violence is not the only measure to evaluate a vulnerable community’s well-being. It is essential that community voices and concerns are heard and respected too, especially in a world where politicians and operatives are determined to demonize and silence us. The rise in disingenuous and dangerous rhetoric has coincided with a rise in harm in real life. LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD monitors anti-LGBTQ incidents across the United States via its ALERT Desk. In 2025, the organization tracked more than 1,000 anti-LGBTQ incidents nationwide including assault, arson, bomb threats and verbal and physical harassment linked to the victims’ LGBTQ identity.
Over half of all recorded incidents in 2025 — 532 of them — specifically involved the targeting of transgender and gender non-conforming people.
Kansas and Missouri are no exceptions. Since the ALERT Desk’s tracking began in June 2022, the region saw more than 65 disturbing anti-LGBTQ incidents. Last September, bullets engraved with anti-trans slurs were found outside an LGBTQ nonprofit in Springfield.
When we speak of the “safety” of transgender and all Kansans, common sense tells us the goal isn’t just to make it home every night. It’s about recognizing how all forms of violence and intimidation hold everyone back. While the Trump administration and lawmakers in Kansas attempt to codify discrimination against certain constituents, they’re not focused on solutions that help every family, such as jobs and affordable housing, or access to quality health care and education. There is similarly no persuasive argument to defend why the Trump administration has ended data collection about LGBTQ people in more than 360 federal surveys, including the few studies designed to help survivors report hate crimes against them.
The truth of the matter is that policies and legislation can create conditions for exclusion and harm. Kansas’ new law targets anyone even perceived as transgender who might need to use the restroom where they feel safest. Violent and abusive behavior in restrooms is already a crime, regardless of the offender’s gender identity or sexual orientation. Creating laws to exclude certain people from public spaces based on how they look fosters distrust and an increasingly unsafe situation for trans Kansans or anyone who doesn’t perfectly fit our society’s traditional expectations of gender expression.
Mastio contends that “the ‘epidemic of violence’ transgender civil rights groups warned of has not materialized.” This is demonstrably untrue. Instead of waiting to count body bags, we must listen to transgender Kansans and allies who are telling us about the very real hate and harassment they face every day. We can all recognize who is contributing to violence and division through disinformation when they could focus on making life better for every Kansan. We need to work together to build understanding and ensure a safer, more just future for us all.
Devon Ojeda is senior national organizer at the 501(c)(4) nonprofit Advocates for Transgender Equality, where he works with coalition partners and policymakers to advance protections and improve the well-being of transgender communities. He earned a Ph.D. in community psychology from Wichita State University.