From criminalization to erasure: Project 2025 and anti-trans legislation in the US

Abstract

The past two decades have largely been characterized by mainstream media as emancipatory for LGBTQ communities; indeed, queer and trans people have achieved many legal wins. But despite what has appeared to be a slow march to acceptance and inclusion, the post-marriage equality era has ushered in a virulent form of backlash wherein trans communities are demonized and criminalized through an abundance of anti-trans laws and policies, many of which target trans youth and access to healthcare, schools, and sports. After sketching the broader landscape of trans criminalization, this article moves to an analysis of the conservative initiative termed Project 2025 and their flagship text Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise (2023). This comprehensive blueprint outlines a series of far-reaching policies targeting marginalized populations, with trans people at the very center. Drawing on queer criminology and trans theory, this article argues that Project 2025 and emerging anti-trans legislation pivot from punishment and criminalization of gender-diverse people to erasure and dehumanization of trans life in all its forms. Against the backdrop of broader trends of anti-trans politics and conservative agendas that seek to erode progress made in advancing trans rights and equality, this article is also a call to build upon queer criminology to establish a more robust body of work in trans criminology.