Following executive orders signed by Donald Trump shortly after returning to the president’s office, LGBTQI has been removed from multiple government websites.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex people have long been grouped together into the short-hand lettering, being displayed not only in cultural media, but on U.S. government websites. However, after the two-gender expression executive order was signed on Day 1 of the new administration, called “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government,” the acronym was either entirely scrubbed from, or cut to only say “LGB” on sites where it previously read “LGBTQI.”
The change is immediately visible on the travel.state.gov website. Posted under a header that reads “LGB Travelers,” a paragraph details dangers Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual citizens may face abroad without any mention of those identifying as transgender or other established classifications in the LGBTQ+ community.
“LGB travelers can face special challenges abroad,” the section reads. “Laws and attitudes in some countries may affect safety and ease of travel. Many countries do not recognize same-sex marriage. Many countries also only recognize the male and female sex markers in passports and do not have IT systems at ports of entry that can accept other sex markers. About 70 countries still consider consensual same-sex relations a crime. In some of these countries, individuals who engage in same-sex sexual relations may face severe punishment.”
Similarly, aside from the U.S. travel site, a State Department web page providing “Resources for LGBTQI+ Prospective Adoptive Parents“ now just reads “LGB Prospective Adoptive Parents.”
When asked for comment on the changes to and the removal of web pages mentioning the LGBTQ+ community, the new administration’s spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management shared a memo directing all federal agencies last week to implement Trump’s “gender ideology” order. The directive instructed agencies to “Take down all outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) that inculcate or promote gender ideology.”
In a statement the day after Trump signed the order and shortly after LGBTQ+ related information started to be removed from the White House website, the LGBTQ+ media advocacy group GLAAD accused Trump of censorship.“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,” CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “This 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. Sadly for him, our community is more visible than ever; and this pathetic attempt to diminish and remove us will again prove unsuccessful.”