During the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Education’s website hosted an LGBTQI+ resources webpage, which provided a comprehensive list of fact sheets and guides focused on the needs of LGBTQI+ students. Less than one week into the new Trump administration, a sanitized error message took its place, with no hint of the content that was erased.
Censorship is a common thread in the far right’s political attacks against the LGBTQI+ community. In March 2022, for example, Florida passed a law banning the discussion of educational content related to sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Over the past several years, efforts to ban LGBTQI+ books have been on the rise. This theme characterized Donald Trump’s first presidential term, with key LGBTQI+ articles, reports, and even public apology letters removed from the websites of the White House and federal agencies. It’s clear that this new administration will act no differently in attempting to restrict access to LGBTQI+ resources.
350+
Number of government webpages containing LGBTQI+ policies, information, and resources that have been removed by the Trump administration
Anticipating that this term will bring more of the same overcontrol of information, the Center for American Progress has logged webpages, reports, and guides related to the LGBTQI+ community to monitor these important documents. According to this analysis, more than 350 government webpages containing LGBTQI+ policies, information, and resources have already been removed—as of this column’s publication. Examples of removed webpages include guides for schools implementing inclusive anti-harassment policies; articles about supporting LGBTQI+ veterans; executive actions taken by President Joe Biden, such as the “Federal Evidence Agenda on LGBTQI+ Equity”; and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s LGBTQI+ resource webpage.
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A 2024 article celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility, titled “VA observes Transgender Day of Visibility,” shows a woman playing tennis. Now, the article is replaced by a standard “Page not found” message.
While the current administration claims to value free speech, their actions tell a different story. These pages contain key information for LGBTQI+ communities and those who work with them, and their removal marks a gravely concerning restriction of vital information. Now, where there used to be hundreds of detailed resources, there is just one message: “404 Page Not Found.”