Many hoped this time would be different, but since Donald Trump took office on January 20, he’s been swiftly rolling back rights for the queer community. Are you overwhelmed by the slaughter and looking for a summary of the most important issues? We’ve got you covered with a summary of what we’ve seen happen from his inauguration through the first of March.

Bathroom Ban on Congresswoman Sarah McBride 

Even before Trump officially took office, conservatives began rallying to cause havoc and send negative sentiments to the queer community. In November 2024, South Carolina’s U.S. House of Representatives member Nancy Mace brought legislation to ban transgender women from using women’s facilities on federal premises. This was a strategic move by Mace, as Sarah McBride had just become the first openly transgender individual to become a state senator.

Meta’s pivot away from fact checking & toward hate speech 

Before Trump’s inauguration, Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta would be abolishing its fact-checking system, hate speech ban, and abuse rules. Instead it will be prioritizing a crowdsourced model of “free expression.”

Executive order on two genders 

Upon taking over the Oval Office, an executive order was signed acknowledging “female” and “male” as the only biological sexes. In particular, it cites its purpose as “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”

Halting transgender passport & other identification applications 

In the same executive order as above, Trump implemented “changes to require that government-issued identification documents—including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards—accurately reflect the holder’s sex.” Thus, banning authentic government identification for transgender, intersex, and gender fluid individuals. Later on, Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, informed employees of the State Department that individuals requesting X gender markers would be suspended.

Corporate DEI freezeouts post-inauguration 

Another executive order to come out of the White House on January 20 was “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.” Following this, a burgeoning number of corporations began rolling back their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. These include popular household names like Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Google, Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, Molson Coors, Paramount, PepsiCo, Target, and Walmart.

Trump Administration halts H.I.V. drug distribution in poor countries 

In the executive order “Reevaluating and Realigning U.S. Foreign Aid” President Trump ordered a 90-day freeze of foreign aid starting on January 20. This includes advising international organizations to cease distributing H.I.V. treatment bought with United States aid, and even freezing George W. Bush’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Ban on transgender participants in the military 

On January 27, President Trump signed another executive order entitled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” in which he declared the “Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology.” This plan seeks to rid the military of having transgender individuals participate, followed by an order from the Pentagon dislodging all current service members and banning future transgender people from enlisting.

Idaho effort to trigger SCOTUS overturning marriage equality 

On January 27, the Idaho House of Representatives passed a resolution with the intention of provoking the United States Supreme Court to reverse its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. This case was pivotal in the 2015 decision for same-sex marriage equality, as it established the right under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment and the equal protection clause. The Idaho house ruling passed the House Joint Memorial 1 in a vote of 46–24; however, the ruling does not bring any effect of real law and is merely symbolic.

Gender-affirming care restrictions put in place for transgender youth 

In the executive order “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” from January 28, Trump strongly advised against any medical intervention for transgender adolescents. The order reads, “Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.” Thus, individuals under 19 years old will not have access to surgery, hormone replacement therapy, nor puberty blockers.

Madison Metropolitan School District policy cited by Trump 

In a January 29 executive order titled, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling,” Trump attempted to ban teaching gender identity and critical race theory. The order spotlights stripping federal financial funding from K–12 schools and universities. Additionally, it mentions a Madison Metropolitan School District policy that emphasizes disruption to the gender binary.

Transgender athlete ban in women’s sports 

“Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” is an executive order from February 5, in which President Trump prohibited transgender competitors from engaging in women’s sports. The order allows federal agencies the ability to make sure establishments which get federal funding comply with Title IX via interpreting “sex” as what is assigned at birth.

Stonewall National Monument Park website scrubbed 

The language changed on the webpage for this historic New York City landmark from “LGBTQ+” to “LGB.” This marks a serious offense to a milestone which traces its roots back to famous trans women, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who played a pivotal role in the uprising at this bar in 1969. Although a seemingly small typographic change, the disappearance speaks volumes about what the Trump administration is willing to acknowledge.

Editing other federal websites 

Additionally, the Trump administration has made a variety of other changes to many federal websites. One example is the State Department’s website addressing information for, “LGB Travelers,” when it previously said “LGBTQI Travelers.” Meanwhile another State Department website reads, “Resources for LGB Prospective Adoptive parents,” but prior said it was for “LGBTQI+.”

Red state efforts to trigger SCOTUS overturning marriage equality 

As of March 1, five state legislatures introduced measures asking the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 ruling granting federal marriage equality. Those states are:  Idaho, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. So far both Idaho and North Dakota have passed their measures. This stated the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges was felonious and should be overturned by the United States Supreme Court. Four additional states—Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas—are currently working on similar legislation.

University of Cincinnati changes its restrooms signage 

This public Ohio-based institution of more than 50,000 students has revised its bathroom signs to say “biological men” and “biological women.” It is the result of legislation signed by Mike DeWine, the state’s Republican Governor.

Department of Justice affinity group shut down 

Since 1994, the Department of Justice has had an employee resource group known as DOJ Pride. However, due to Trump’s executive order seeking to eliminate DEI initiatives from the federal government, this group and its website have been shut down.

Governor of Iowa removes gender identity protections 

On February 28, a bill withdrawing gender identity from statewide civil rights protections was signed; this made Iowa the first state to eliminate such protections. Governor Kim Reynolds put her signature on the bill after the state senate voted 33–15 in favor. Additionally, this will force Iowa birth certificates to display an individual’s sex assigned at birth, as well as remove a clause that prior enabled transgender individuals to update this marker later on if desired.

Editor’s Note: This list is growing by the day. By the time you read this, the list will undoubtedly be longer.