“LGBTQ,” “Black,” “Women” on Trump’s List of Banned Words
U.S. federal agencies have reportedly flagged over 100 words that may violate Trump's anti-DEI executive order.
Federal agencies under the Trump administration have flagged hundreds of words to avoid in official government memos, public-facing websites, and informational materials.
Government agencies are seeking to comply with a President Trump executive order seeking to rid the government of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, and any programs or initiatives that conservatives decry as “woke,” including those that focus on racial and cultural identity, LGBTQ identity, and the idea of “equity” rather than equality.
The list appeared in government memos and agency guidance, ordering the removal of the words from government websites, internal communications, and from written or printed materials.
Several of the terms that have been flagged for removal from official government documents and websites are benign descriptors like “Black,” “Native American,” “LGBT,” “LGBTQ,” “socioeconomic status,” and even the word “political.”
The list also includes terms Republicans deem “controversial,” such as those dealing with discrimination, specific identity groups, diversity-related terms, and even the word “victim.”
While not every word in the list has been explicitly banned, many agencies have advised federal workers to limit or avoid using the words if possible to avoid triggering a review of such material by the administration.
Trump and his MAGA Republicans argue that DEI practices have resulted in the hiring or promotions of people based on their identities rather than “merit,” and are therefore “unqualified” for their positions.
While references to transgender and nonbinary communities have been erased — in keeping with another Trump executive order — the list of flagged terms indicated that other groups could similiarly see their identities erased.
All references to “cultural” heritage, differences, or related terms are on the list, as is the word “disabled,” all references using the term “gender” rather than “sex,” and any mentions of “disparities,” “bias,” or “underrepresentation,” including the term “underserved” as it relates to groups of people.
Even the term “women” has been flagged.
The New York Times notes that the list is likely incomplete, as more agency memos may exist beyond those obtained by the newspaper.
A Times analysis of more than 5,000 federal agency web pages, which compared their content in February to the content they possessed during the Biden administration, found that more than 250 websites contained evidence of deletions or amendments to words on the “flagged” list.
As an example, the Times holds up a 2021 memo from Head Start, the federal learning, health, and nutrition program for low-income families with preschool-aged children, to show how some of the terms flagged by agencies have been erased.
The memo previously acknowledged the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdowns on marginalized communities, including references to “racial injustice,” “social inequities,” Black people, indigenous communities, and the term “people of color.”
That memo has since been amended to read, “The last year has brought significant challenges to the Head Start workforce. All staff have been impacted by COVID-19. As such, OHS is committed to a culture of wellness that includes holistic support for the entire Head Start workforce.”
President Trump, and some of his closest advisors — including billionaire Elon Musk, the CEO of social media platform X — have championed themselves as proponents of “free speech.”
However, the extent to which the words have been purged from government documents and websites appears to indicate otherwise, and the administration is simply more concerned with shutting down speech that Trump and Republicans personally find distasteful.
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