In the wake of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and gender ideology, federal employee affinity groups—particularly those supporting LGBTQ workers—are shutting down, rebranding, or going underground.
The orders, signed on Trump’s first day back in office, declared that the U.S. government officially recognizes only two sexes and prohibited the use of federal funds to advance gender ideology.
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Among the most notable changes is the shutdown of DOJ Pride, a group representing LGBTQ employees at the Department of Justice. In an email to members, the group announced it was ceasing operations “in the interest and for the protection of all members,” citing the “time of uncertainty and concern” created by the new policies.
Similarly, the DOJ Gender Equality Network has declared itself “no longer an active organization,” and its website has been scrubbed from the department’s official list of affinity groups.
At the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), DHS Pride has rebranded itself as 11UnitedPride, a move reflected on its Facebook and LinkedIn pages. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) LGBTQ employee group, Equality EPA, has also disappeared from the agency’s website, leaving employees without a visible support network.
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The impact of Trump’s executive orders extends beyond LGBTQ groups. A memo from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) revealed that the agency has halted the celebration of cultural and historical events, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth, Black History Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Women’s Equality Day, and Pride Month. The memo also announced an immediate pause on all agency resource groups, affinity groups, and employee networking groups “until further notice.”
The State Department has taken similar steps, shutting down its employee organizations webpage. Glifaa, a group representing LGBTQIA+ personnel in the foreign affairs community, has removed most content from its website, leaving members in the dark about its future. Meanwhile, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has deactivated its LGBTQ resource pages, further eroding support systems for marginalized employees.
A memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has added to the uncertainty, instructing agencies to place employees who promote gender ideology on leave and to close all related initiatives, offices, and programs by 5 p.m. on Friday.
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The memo also mandated the removal of pronouns from email signatures, a move that has been criticized as both symbolic and punitive.
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