In a significant move this week, the Trump administration directed all federal agencies to eliminate information related to “gender ideology” from their websites. Reports emerged on Friday showcasing the immediate implementation of this directive.
On Wednesday, acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management, Charles Ezell, issued a memo instructing agencies to comply by Friday at 5 p.m. ET with an executive order aimed at “defending women from gender ideology extremism.”
The memo outlined “steps to end federal funding of gender ideology,” specifically requiring the removal of all external-facing media that promotes gender ideology. By late Friday, attempts to access the Census Bureau’s 2020 Results page revealed that the site was undergoing maintenance. Likewise, pages detailing sexual orientation and gender identity were also down.
Numerous examples surfaced on social media as academics, journalists, and activists highlighted the loss of vital information from government websites. Notably, the CDC’s HIV surveillance data, as reported by a scientist, was no longer accessible, and the Youth Risk Survey data had also vanished, drawing attention from health policy experts.
In a statement Friday evening, OPM communications director McLaurine Pinover stated, “OPM sent guidance to agencies to remove gender ideology-related content from their websites by 5 pm today as part of the efforts to defend women and uphold the truth of biological sex against the radical claims of gender activists. This may have been misinterpreted to mean we would shut down government websites unable to comply, but that is not the plan for continuing to implement this important effort.”
The term “gender ideology,” often employed by Trump and other transgender rights opponents, is used to contest the notion that individuals can identify with a gender different from that assigned at birth. Critics argue that this terminology suggests being transgender is merely a belief system rather than an actual identity, with around 2 million Americans identifying as trans or transgender according to recent polling.
This week’s memo on “gender ideology” was not an isolated incident; another directive from the Trump administration sought the removal of information related to “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” from government websites.
When queried about the removal of DEI information, Trump remarked, “It doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. DEI would have ruined our country, and now it’s dead.”
The “Defending Women” executive order, along with Ezell’s memo, extends beyond the mere removal of web content—it calls for a comprehensive review of federal programs, contracts, and grants related to gender ideology, with instructions to terminate any that promote it. Additionally, the directive mandates that forms request respondents’ “sex” rather than their “gender.”
Furthermore, the memo instructs agencies to ensure “intimate spaces” are designated by biological sex, potentially restricting transgender and nonbinary employees’ access to certain bathrooms. Requests for clarification on what defines “intimate spaces” have yet to be addressed.
