The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is an American organization that originally promoted “academic freedom,” with a focus on supporting conservative and anti-trans academics. Following a 2022 rebrand to its current name, FIRE shifted to “free speech,” as a direct competitor to the American Civil Liberties Union.
FIRE frequently supports and defends anti-transgender activists like Moms for Liberty, Alice Dreger, Ian Haworth, Greg Lukianoff, Rikki Schlott, John McWhorter, and Steven Pinker.
Background
The organization was founded as Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Their goal was to defend “academic freedom,” by which they meant advocating for irresponsible academic and public conduct without accountability or consequence.
FIRE changed its name in 2022. This change allowed them to avoid defending trans-supportive people caught up in academic controversies. Under the new name, they could support people whose “sincerely held” religious beliefs trumped the academic freedom of trans-supportive people.
According to Emily Pothast, “Greg Lukianoff heads the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a think-tank funded by the Olin and Scaife families, right-wing oligarchs whose influence over politics and media has been compared to that of the Koch brothers, as documented in the book Dark Money.”
According to a 2025 report by Billie Jean Sweeney:
FIRE does not disclose its donors on its website, in its annual report or in its Form 990 IRS filings, but the Center for Media and Democracy has reported that past donors have included a Whoâs Who of the conservative movement, including the Adolph Coors Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, among others.
FIREâs revenue rocketed from $13.7 million in 2020 to $37.1 million in 2022 â the year of its relaunch â before leveling off and dipping a bit, to $33.4 million for the fiscal year ending in June 2024, according to its public IRS Form 990 filings, tracked by ProPublica. The group itself cited a higher revenue figure, $40.8 million, in its most recent annual report, covering the fiscal year ending in June 2025.
Anti-trans efforts
Much of FIRE’s work around trans people protests speech codes intended to stop deadnaming and misgendering. FIRE has also supported the rights of anti-transgender activists to hold public events and criticize trans people.
In 2023. FIRE filed an amicus brief supporting assistant principal Rachel Sager, née Damiano and teacher Katie Medart, who objected to the Grants Pass School District policy against misgendering trans students.
In 2025, FIRE filed an amicus brief supporting Maine lawmaker Laurel Libby after Libby displayed a photo of a transgender athlete who was a minor during a debate on trans inclusion.
In 2025, FIRE filed an amicus brief to support the rights of anti-trans parents protesting a transgender athlete competing at Bow High School in New Hampshire.
In 2025, FIRE applauded the failure of Colorado’s Kelly Loving Act, which was designed to prevent deadnaming and misgendering.
In 2024, FIRE objected to Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts for canceling an event organized by ex-trans activist Simon Amaya Price.
In 2024, FIRE objected to an investigation at Pace University in New York after a presenter at a Federalist Society event attacking transgender athletes misgendered an audience member.
In 2023, FIRE objected to Yolo County Library in California after they declined to host an anti-trans event held by Moms for Liberty.
Trans-supportive efforts
FIRE has objected to policies that prohibit discussion of transgender topics or prohibit trans materials in library collections.
In 2025, FIRE objected to a policy at Angelo State University in Texas that forbids faculty from âdiscussion of transgender topics or any topics that suggest there are more than two genders.âÂ
In 2025, FIRE objected after the Keller Independent School District in Texas voted to ban any books that promoted “gender fluidity.”
On March 17, 2025, Directors of the Rutherford County Library System in Tennessee voted to approve the removal of âmaterial that promotes, encourages, advocates for or normalizes transgenderism or âgender confusionâ in minors.â FIRE was one of several organizations that successfully lobbied to reversew the decision, which happened on June 2.
People
Staff
- Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO
- Will Creeley, Legal Director
- Alisha Glennon, Chief Operating Officer
- Nico Perrino, Executive Vice President
- Ronnie London, General Counsel
- Bridget Glackin, Senior Vice President of Development
- Nerida Brownlee, Chief of Staff
- Suleyman Gokyigit, Chief Information Officer
- Cait Scanlan, Director of People Operations
Board
- Harvey Silverglate, Co-Founder of FIRE; Member, Board of Directors
- John Ellis Chairman, Board of Directors
- Samuel J. Abrams, Member, Board of Directors
- Kmele Foster, Member, Board of Directors
- John B. Henneman III, Member, Board of Directors
- Kurt Jaggers Member, Board of Directors
- Sandy Leong Member, Board of Directors
- Virginia Postrel Member, Board of Directors
- Joseph Maline Member, Board of Directors
- Keith Whittington Member, Board of Directors
Advisory Council
- Steven Brint
- Nicholas A. Christakis
- Anthony Dick
- Karith Foster
- Ira Glasser
- Erica Goldberg
- Sallie James
- Wendy Kaminer
- Timur Kuran
- David Lat
- John McWhorter
- Peter Malkin
- Muriel Morisey
- Steven Pinker
- Steven Shapiro
- Daniel Shuchman
- Lawrence Summers
Fellows
- Ronald K. L. Collins
- James Kirchick
- Jacob Mchangama
- Nadine Strossen
Podcast
The So To Speak podcast has platformed many anti-transgender activists, including Alice Dreger, Robby Soave, Alliance Defending Freedom’s Kristen Waggoner, Kat Rosenfield, Peter Singer, Geoffrey Miller, Bret Weinstein, Nick Gillespie, Yascha Mounk, Matt Taibbi, Pano Kanelos, Andrew Sullivan, John McWhorter, Caitlin Flanagan, Noam Dworman, Jim Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, Peter Boghossian, Glenn Loury, David French, Jonathan Haidt, and Steven Pinker.
References
Sweeney, Billie Jean (December 8, 2025). Can a Group Allied With the Right Defend the 1st Amendment for All? Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/fire-first-amendment-anti-trans-religious-right
Potfast, Emily (November 30, 2016). Remember This Article? It Was Conservative Propaganda, and a Lot of Us Fell for It. https://emilypothast.medium.com/remember-this-article-it-was-pro-trump-propaganda-and-a-lot-of-you-fell-for-it-1f164c1a702e
Anti-trans coverage
Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (October 22, 2025). Transgender identification in college youth is at an all-time high but may be reaching a plateau.
Manhattan Institute / Shapiro. Ilya; Rosenberger, Tim (October 6, 2023). New Amicus Briefs: Schools Cannot Censor Students Expressing Traditional Gender Views. https://manhattan.institute/article/new-amicus-briefs-schools-cannot-censor-students-expressing-traditional-gender-views
Selected writing by FIRE
Walters, Gabe (June 20, 2025). Federal court backs teachers fired over trans protest. FIRE https://www.thefire.org/news/federal-court-backs-teachers-fired-over-trans-protest
Volodzko, David (July 3, 2025). FIRE amicus brief: First Amendment bars using schoolkid standards to silence parents’ speech. FIRE https://www.thefire.org/news/fire-amicus-brief-first-amendment-bars-using-schoolkid-standards-silence-parents-speech
Volodzko, David (May 8, 2025). Colorado reversal on misgendering ban is a crisis averted but a danger revealed. FIRE https://www.thefire.org/news/colorado-reversal-misgendering-ban-crisis-averted-danger-revealed
Thorne, Victor (July 25, 2024). I’m trans. The trans community’s illiberalism is putting our rights at risk. My fellow trans activists could take a page from the gay rights movement. FIRE https://www.thefire.org/news/im-trans-trans-communitys-illiberalism-putting-our-rights-risk
Staff report (September 2023). Pronouns, free speech, and the First Amendment. FIRE https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/pronouns-free-speech-and-first-amendment
Resources
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