The Trump Administration Directs Federal Agencies to Remove All References to “Gender Ideology”

LGBTQ+ activists have criticized the Trump administration’s call for government agencies to eliminate references to “gender ideology.”

As part of a new executive order that recognizes only two sexes, the Trump administration has instructed federal agencies to exclude references to “gender ideology” from job descriptions, contracts, and social media profiles.

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a document on Wednesday that details how agencies must adhere to President Donald Trump’s direction that “women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.”

The action is a component of Trump’s larger campaign to undermine diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, a position that rights activists have criticized.

Critics caution that the administration’s moves may reverse gains made in gender inclusion and weaken rights for LGBTQ+ people.

Trump declared last week that “funds will not be used to promote ‘gender ideology,'” a phrase commonly used by conservative organizations to criticize unconventional perspectives on sex and gender. Rights advocates contend that the term dehumanizes people and is an anti-LGBTQ+ cliché.

The Trump administration is attempting to limit the effects of a historic 2020 US Supreme Court decision that expanded civil rights protections against discrimination “on the basis of sex” to include sexuality and gender identity, in addition to eliminating language associated with gender ideology.

According to the OPM document, the new instruction mandates that agencies examine job descriptions and suspend any employees “whose position description involves inculcating or promoting gender ideology.”

Additionally, federal agencies are required to make sure that “intimate spaces,” including locker rooms and restrooms, “are designated by biological sex and not gender identity,” and to take down any social media posts or site content that promotes gender ideology.

By directing the termination of all federal funding or support for healthcare programs that assist transgender youngsters in their transition, Trump further broadened these limitations on Tuesday. This comes after a previous executive order that prohibited transgender people from joining the US military.

In a post on X on Wednesday, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said that 85 contracts relating to DEI, worth almost $1 billion, had been cancelled across a number of federal ministries and agencies. It did not, however, offer a thorough analysis of the impacted contracts.