Over her short tenure as Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi terrorized LGBTQ+ Americans

Pam Bondi’s tenure as the nation’s attorney general has ended. But in less than 14 months as America’s top law enforcement official, the Republican waged a comprehensive campaign against LGBTQ+ equality on behalf of President Donald Trump.

Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.

From advancing bounties targeting what the administration called “radical gender ideology” to launching lawsuits against states that allow transgender youth to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, Bondi became a central enforcer of the administration’s social agenda. As allies in Florida encourage her to consider another run for state attorney general, her record is likely to shadow her political future.

Under Bondi’s leadership, the Justice Department subpoenaed hospitals and clinics providing gender-affirming care to minors, seeking sensitive patient information that critics warned could undermine medical privacy and potentially facilitate the creation of a registry of transgender Americans. The department pursued records from both brick-and-mortar providers and telehealth services, including multi-state networks such as QueerDoc.

Related: Soon-to-be-ousted Pam Bondi sues Minnesota for letting trans athletes play in school sports

Related: Thank goodness Pam Bondi’s abhorrent tenure as AG is over

That pressure campaign had tangible consequences. Some health systems, including the University of Michigan, scaled back or halted gender-affirming care for minors, disrupting treatment for patients and families and raising concerns among medical professionals about continuity of care.

Bondi also aligned the Justice Department with broader efforts by the Trump administration to rewrite the record on the January 6, 2021, insurrection and around American history and civil rights. The department defended actions such as the removal of Pride flags from the Stonewall National Monument and supported policies restricting which flags could be flown at federal sites to the U.S. flag, the POW/MIA flag, and official agency banners.

Early in her tenure, Bondi established a special investigative team focused on what officials described as the influence of “gender ideology” in schools. The effort centered largely on alleged Title IX violations tied to the participation of transgender girls and women in school athletics.

Related: Trump fires staunch defender Pam Bondi

Related: 25 hilarious reactions to Pam Bondi getting fired despite being Trump's attack dog

Related: Top Oversight Democrat says fired AG Pam Bondi ‘must answer’ for Epstein files

Bondi’s Justice Department also repeatedly explored charges against journalist Don Lemon over coverage of anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. She was said to be frustrated when a magistrate declined to pursue charges related to filming inside a St. Paul church. Eventually, the DOJ was able to secure a grand jury indictment against the gay, award-winning broadcaster.

In another Minnesota-related case, the department launched an investigation into the wife of a slain protester, Renee Good, even as it declined to pursue charges against the officer, Jonathan Ross, who shot the mother of three through a car windshield.

The department also withdrew support for a Georgia prison inmate seeking gender-affirming care and filed complaints against a federal judge who questioned the administration’s ban on transgender military service, further signaling its aggressive posture on LGBTQ+-related legal issues.

Bondi’s opposition to LGBTQ+ rights predates her time in Washington. During her two terms as Florida’s attorney general, she defended the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and supported policies barring gay people from adopting children. Courts ultimately struck down both laws.