Report
Erasure of Anti-Trans Violence Data in the United States
January 2026
In response to an executive order issued on the first day of President Trump’s second term, the U.S. Department of Justice removed questions about gender identity from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). This study examines the implications of that decision for researchers, advocates, and policymakers. It appeared in LGBT Health in January 2026.
Highlights
The NCVS captures information not reported to police and is the primary source of criminal victimization data in the U.S.
Removing gender identity questions from the NCVS will make it impossible to identify transgender people in the sample.
The erasure hinders efforts by researchers, policymakers, and police to understand and prevent violence against transgender people.