Not even 24 hours after President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office and issued an executive order denying the existence of transgender and nonbinary people, his administration has taken another brazen step to erase LGBTQ+ Americans. The Advocate has confirmed that references to LGBTQ+ identities and HIV-related resources have vanished overnight from WhiteHouse.gov and several federal agency websites, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of State, and Department of Labor, based on a report by GLAAD.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
The removed content includes essential resources such as the White House’s equity report, information on expanding access to HIV prevention and treatment, and Pride Month acknowledgments. The Department of Labor’s LGBTQ+ workers’ rights page and the State Department’s LGBTQ+ rights page have also been taken down.
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis condemned the administration’s actions in a statement. “President Trump claims to be a strong proponent of freedom of speech, yet he is clearly committed to censorship of any information containing or related to LGBTQ Americans and issues that we face,” Ellis said. “Today’s action proves the Trump administration’s goal of making it as difficult as possible for LGBTQ Americans to find federal resources or otherwise see ourselves reflected under his presidency.”
The Advocate has contacted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for comment.
The overnight deletions follow Trump’s Monday executive order mandating that all federal policies and guidelines align with the assertion that “there are only two genders: male and female,” effectively erasing recognition of transgender and nonbinary identities from federal rules.
“Sadly for him, our community is more visible than ever; and this pathetic attempt to diminish and remove us will again prove unsuccessful,” Ellis said.