On Friday, federal government websites removed content related to transgender issues to comply with an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day in office. The order instructed federal agencies to eliminate all public materials, such as website pages and social media posts, that promote gender ideology. The Office of Personnel Management gave agencies until 5 p.m. to make these changes.
One of the affected websites was the State Department’s page for LGBTQI+ travelers. The agency changed all references from “LGBTQI+” to “LGB” while keeping most of the content the same. The page still includes a warning that many countries only recognize male and female sex markers at their borders.
Other federal agencies also made significant changes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed several pages focused on transgender health. This included information on health disparities among LGBTQ youth, support for LGBTQ+ youth, diabetes risks in the LGBTQ community, and suicide prevention resources. The Department of Health and Human Services also took down its “LGBTQI+ Resources” page, but a guide for LGBTQI+ older adults from the Biden administration remained online as of Friday evening.
Additionally, the National Institutes of Health removed its Office for Sexual & Gender Minority Research webpage. Other websites that did not appear to be directly related to gender ideology also went offline. For example, the CDC’s AtlasPlus tool, which provides data on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases, was no longer accessible. The CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, which helps assess communities at risk during disasters, was also taken down. A CDC page about HIV testing was blank, and the entire U.S. Census Bureau website went offline.
Neither the CDC nor the Census Bureau provided comments on the website removals.
A spokesperson from the Office of Personnel Management explained that agencies were required to follow the executive order by removing gender-related content. However, she clarified that the government was not shutting down websites entirely but ensuring compliance with the directive.
Trump’s executive order, signed on January 20, called for the removal of all policies, statements, regulations, forms, and other communications that promote gender ideology. It also instructed federal agencies to stop issuing new materials related to the topic. These actions are part of a broader effort to emphasize biological sex and eliminate references to gender ideology in federal policies and communications.
