Colin Wright is an evolutionary biologist and a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He co-authored the 2026 HHS report at issue.
Case
An HHS survey report linked selected gender-affirmation beliefs with higher authoritarianism scores and stated political-violence justification. Its authors say it does not establish causation or measure violence; critics dispute its measures and broader framing.
Role at the time: Evolutionary biologist and Manhattan Institute fellow; report co-author
Responding to
HHS reported that, in its analytic sample, stronger agreement with its Clinical Gender Affirmation Scale was associated with higher left-wing-authoritarianism scores and greater stated justification for specified political-violence scenarios.
“Acceptance gender ideology appears to augment authoritarian attitudes in support for political violence.”
As a report co-author, Wright publicly advances the report's interpretive framing rather than merely linking to or reporting on it. The report's stated causal limitations remain material context.
Statement dates: August 26, 2026
Statement dates: August 26, 2026
Statement dates: August 26, 2026
