U.S. federal websites have undergone changes to remove or alter references to COVID-19 vaccines and LGBTQ+ issues.
The Trump administration has recently taken steps to remove references to gender ideology and COVID-19 vaccines from various federal websites, including major public health agencies. This action follows a memo issued on Wednesday, instructing agencies to eliminate “programs that use taxpayer money to promote gender ideology” and remove related content from websites by 5:00 PM EST on Friday.
Trump had previously signed executive orders banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the government and issued a decree defining gender as strictly male and female. When questioned about the potential removal of diversity-related content from websites, he responded, “If they want to scrub the websites, that’s OK with me.”
By Saturday morning, several leading public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), had removed pages related to LGBTQ+ health, sexually transmitted diseases, and gender-specific topics. Some CDC webpages now display error messages where previously accessible data on youth health, transgender issues, and LGBTQ+ health were available. The National Youth and Behavior Risk Survey (YRBS) appears to have vanished from its landing pages, along with the tool that allowed users to explore the data. The YRBS, which focused on topics like nutrition, mental health, physical activity, and sexual activity among young people, had last been visible in mid-January.
Other pages that addressed issues such as “Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth” and “Health Disparities Among LGBTQ Youth” have also been taken down, though archived versions are still available. These pages had previously highlighted the increased risks LGBTQ+ youth face due to stigma and discrimination.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has removed pages related to diversity and inclusion, including key content from the Office of Civil Rights. A link to the “civil rights” page now leads to an error message.
A memo from the Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday directed agencies to comply with an executive order aimed at “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” This order mandated the removal of all outward-facing media promoting gender ideology and instructed agencies to turn off features like Outlook’s pronoun prompts.
DEI programs have been praised for addressing discrimination and increasing participation from underrepresented groups in workplaces, but critics argue that such initiatives may themselves lead to discrimination. The recent executive orders have raised concerns about potential long-term consequences for scientific and medical research. For example, a grant from the National Institutes of Health, which supported the hiring of staff from diverse backgrounds at research institutions, abruptly expired on January 24, 2025—much earlier than expected. This move has raised fears that the elimination of such programs could negatively impact the future of the scientific workforce.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has also fired a group of prosecutors who were working on the criminal cases related to the January 6th Capitol riot and demanded the names of FBI agents involved in those investigations.
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