Urgent Compliance with Trump Administration Deadline Forces Federal and State Health Officials to Scrub Gender-Related Initiatives

In response to the Trump administration's mandate, federal and state health officials faced a 5 p.m. deadline to discontinue any programs promoting "gender ideology." This included withdrawing documents and media that endorse such ideologies. Compliance varied across federal agencies, veterans hospitals, and local health departments.

Changes at Federal Health Agencies

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employees were tasked with removing terms like "transgender," "immigrant," "L.G.B.T.," and "pregnant people" from the website. Additionally, some VA hospitals received directives stating that L.G.B.T.Q. flags and displays were no longer permitted, as outlined in an administrative email reviewed by The New York Times.

This mandate reflects a significant shift in the approach to diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives within federal health agencies, resulting in the cessation of programs and the removal of terminology that acknowledges and supports gender diversity.