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February 2, 2025 – In a sweeping move to eliminate references to “gender ideology,” the Trump administration ordered significant changes across multiple federal agencies this week, impacting public health data, government websites, and internal communications. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a memo Wednesday, demanding federal agencies strip mentions of gender identity from their websites, emails, and contracts by 5 p.m. on Friday. In the wake of the directive, entire webpages vanished, employees erased pronouns from their email signatures, and crucial health resources were removed.
As the deadline passed, agencies across the government worked to comply with the new directive, which also instructed them to disband employee resource groups, terminate contracts related to gender issues, and replace the term “gender” with “sex” on official forms. Public health content, including guidance on contraception and HIV, was wiped from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website, particularly resources aimed at transgender individuals. These deletions follow the executive orders signed by President Trump, which aim to rollback protections for transgender people and reframe issues of identity.
While some government websites displayed error messages such as “The page you’re looking for was not found,” others briefly disappeared before reappearing intermittently. The Bureau of Prisons and the State Department also made changes: the term “Inmate Gender” was reworded to “Inmate Sex,” and the State Department removed the option for nonbinary individuals to select “X” as a gender on passport applications.
Public health experts voiced concerns about the impact of these actions on scientific data and disease prevention efforts. The Infectious Diseases Society of America condemned the removal of HIV-related information for transgender individuals, stressing the importance of such data in combating the HIV epidemic.
Additionally, the Department of State instructed all employees to remove gender-specific pronouns from email signatures in compliance with the new guidelines. A similar mandate was issued to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where staff members were ordered to flag instances of the word “gender” in contracts. This directive has raised concerns among employees who fear that ongoing gender inclusion efforts and programs related to women may be in jeopardy.
A statement from the White House expressed support for the changes, although President Trump distanced himself from specifics when asked about the website removals, saying he hadn’t been informed but would likely endorse such a move. “I campaigned promising to stamp out such initiatives,” Trump said.
The new directives have sparked outrage and alarm within the LGBTQ+ community and among healthcare professionals, who argue that the erasure of transgender health resources will exacerbate existing disparities. The medical community has called for a reinstatement of these critical resources, which support individuals navigating the challenges of living with HIV and other health issues.
Disclaimer: The content presented here is based on ongoing events and includes accounts of actions taken by various government entities. For more accurate and detailed information, individuals are encouraged to consult official government statements and reputable news sources.
