A few months ago, I wrote about how LGBTQ+ youth and educators have been living in fear over the looming threat of Project 2025 — that threat has become our reality. For those who don’t know, Project 2025 is an extremist right-wing policy plan, authored by the Heritage Foundation, that outlines the goals for the Trump administration’s first year in office. The “promises” of Project 2025 are simple: to roll back civil rights for Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ students, censor educators, shut down the Department of Education, and dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Since his inauguration, President Trump has been moving full-steam ahead on implementing Project 2025 through a series of executive orders. Even though he denies knowing anything about Project 2025, he is executing the playbook to the letter. These random executive orders range from energy policy to “ending wokeness,” but one thing is apparent: he is wielding his pen to destroy any progress that has been made over the past 60 years since the Civil Rights Movement.

Over the past month, the Trump administration has prioritized the culture wars, with the LGBTQ+ community square in its crosshairs. Only a few hours after Trump’s inauguration, he signed an executive order declaring federal recognition of only two non-interchangeable sexes — male and female. The order rolled back various trans-affirming policies previously put in place by the Biden administration and directs federal agencies to adopt this regressive definition of “biological” sex. In his second week, Trump signed another executive order “protecting” women against men in sports. Also, his administration has removed X gender markers off US passports and the FAFSA application. It’s obvious that this is a hostile attempt to erase trans and gender non-conforming (GNC) people like me out of existence.

Federal websites have been cleared of anything transgender and GNC-related from gender designations on passports to going as far as scrubbing the Center for Disease Control’s website of any reference of transgender, GNC, and intersex people. The CDC has removed critical information and data related to the LGBTQ+ community — information such as transgender and GNC affirming care, HIV prevention, creating safe schools for LGBTQ+ youth, health disparities among LGBTQ+ youth, and more. This rapid-fire assault is almost too much to bear.

The executive order signed on January restricts federal funding, sponsorship, promotion, and assistance for gender-affirming care for transgender youth and young adults under the age of 19. This executive order is an explicit attack on transgender youth by revoking their access to the care that they need to be their authentic selves. If youth cannot access the care they need to exist, how are they supposed to thrive in the classroom?

“I can honestly say that my son would not be here today if he was not allowed to transition in his teens. The depression and dysphoria he experienced was almost too much to bear,” says a mom of a son who transitioned in high school. “Fortunately, his school was very supportive.” Gender-affirming care is more than just healthcare; it is life-affirming care. Adolescents who were able to begin gender-affirming care had fewer thoughts of suicide, were less likely to experience major mental health disorders, and had fewer problems with substance abuse than those who started hormones in adulthood. The Trump administration has made it bluntly clear that they don’t care if trans youth die.

The Reverberating After-Effects in the Queer Community

These executive orders have set the tone for this administration’s intentions, and its after-effects are already being felt in the queer community. According to The Trevor Project, there has been a 46% increase in the LGBTQ+ crisis hotline volume since the inauguration, and this number is continuing to climb.

According to The Trevor Project, there has been a 46% increase in the LGBTQ+ crisis hotline volume since the inauguration, and this number is continuing to climb.

Anti-transgender and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has material effects on LGBTQ+ youth and students that has long lasting impacts on their social, emotional, and academic development. In a recent CDC report, researchers found that more than 3 in 5 LGBTQ+ students have experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness over the past year and 1 in 5 have attempted suicide. Rather than barring students from sports, lawmakers should be focused on how they can support LGBTQ+ students and save queer lives, because right now, our federal leaders are failing us.

So, right now, it is up to states and districts to protect their students. A great example of district support for LGBTQ+ students is Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. MCPS has welcoming and affirming classrooms, teachers, sports teams, and clubs, along with an extensive webpage that hosts numerous resources for staff, students, and parents. More states and districts need to have this degree of support for their students, because it can save countless LGBTQ+ lives.

What Happens to Trans Youth if the Department of Education is Dismantled

The Trump administration is also targeting the Department of Education. Previously, the Department’s Title IX protected LGBTQ+ students on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity — a landmark protection that challenged discriminatory state legislation that targets LGBTQ+ youth (bathroom bans) and strengthened requirements for school districts to ensure concerns of LGBTQ+ students are addressed adequately and promptly. In recent years, the Department has investigated school districts that have discriminatory dress codes, misgendering of students, and book bans. However, this has changed recently with the implantation of Trump’s 2020 Title IX rule that reinforces rigid, outdated definitions of gender to roll back LGBTQ+ student civil rights — reducing the Department’s power in protecting vulnerable students.

The Department of Education has been integral to ensuring the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students across the nation. Through the Department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the Department can ensure the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students and fight for students in districts that do not the same protections that other states have. If the Trump administration were to dissolve the Department, LGBTQ+ students would be subject to higher rates of discrimination and be at greater risk of harm within the classroom.

Attacks on LGBTQ+ students are attacks on all students. Due to these policies and the rhetoric spewed by lawmakers and extremists, LGBTQ+ students do not feel safe in our classrooms — particularly those with intersecting identities. But we’re not going anywhere. That’s why states and districts must step up and do more to protect their LGBTQ+ students. Safe and nurturing classrooms are integral to a student’s social, emotional, and academic development; however, that is being undermined for LGBTQ+ students each day.

We in the LGBTQ+ community wholly reject this erasure of our community and refuse to back down. But we need your help. Get involved in your community, attend a protest or action, and advocate for those at risk. There is power in community and together, trans and gender non-conforming people can’t be erased.