On Friday, several U.S. government websites underwent significant changes or became inaccessible as agencies rushed to adhere to President Donald Trump’s executive orders. These orders stipulated that the administration would only acknowledge two genders and mandated the cessation of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
A letter issued by the Office of Personnel Management earlier in the week instructed agency leaders to dismantle grants and contracts associated with what it termed “gender ideology.” Agencies were also directed to have employees omit pronouns from their official emails and eliminate resource groups discussing gender matters. The communication required agencies to implement these changes by 5 p.m. on Friday and additionally requested the removal of the term “gender” from government documentation, replacing it with “sex.”
Several pages have either disappeared or been modified in response to these orders. Here are some notable instances observed so far:
1. The National Park Service’s pages dedicated to significant historic events, including the internment of Japanese Americans, the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen, and the Stonewall Uprising, were found to be unavailable. While the Tuskegee site reappeared shortly afterward, the other sites remained offline as of Friday evening.
2. The State Department has removed the X gender marker from its online consular forms and replaced “gender” with “sex.” Additionally, a guide for LGBTQIA+ travelers has been retitled “LGBTravelers,” signaling a shift in its focus.
3. The U.S. Census Bureau’s homepage was nonfunctional, alongside reports and topic pages addressing gender identity and sexual orientation. A specific topic page titled “Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity” displayed a message indicating it was currently down for maintenance. Another page discussing higher mental health struggles among LGBT adults was also not available, despite historical access earlier in the week.
4. Reports from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, previously available from the Intelligence Community Inspector General, have been erased from the respective website. It is worth noting that Trump had previously dismissed around 17 inspectors general from their positions.
5. The Bureau of Prisons updated a web page initially labeled “Inmate Gender” to now read “Inmate Sex.” Furthermore, information regarding the breakdown of transgender inmates in federal facilities was removed entirely.
6. Numerous public health resources were deleted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site. These included guidance on contraception, data sheets on HIV concerning transgender individuals, educational materials for creating supportive school environments for transgender and nonbinary youth, and specifics for National Transgender HIV Testing Day. The CDC also took down a data repository with a notice stating that operations would be resumed once compliance with the executive order was achieved.
7. Lastly, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to cease the observance of various identity months. This includes Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month.
