January 31, 2025
26 NGOs reveal extent of Israeli authorities’ action against humanitarian response a year since ICJ ruling
This article is the third in a series that highlights the dangerous implications of a second Trump Administration and Project 2025 on the reproductive health and safety of millions in the U.S.
The upcoming U.S. elections mark a crucial turning point for the future of human rights, particularly concerning the protection and advancement of LGBTQIA+ rights. With Project 2025—a strategic plan developed by conservative think tanks—on the horizon, there are significant concerns about the potential rollback of hard-won rights for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Following years of progress, including marriage equality and protections against discrimination, these gains now face substantial threats.
At Doctors of the World, we have been steadfast in our support for LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide. We have established clinics specifically designed to meet their needs, provided mental health care to those who have suffered violence and faced discrimination due to their gender identity or sexual orientation, and tirelessly advocated for inclusive policies.
This election is about more than just political preferences – it is a fight to uphold the dignity and rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. Project 2025 proposes measures that could undermine anti-discrimination laws, restrict access to gender-affirming care, and roll back legal protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals in various spheres, including healthcare, education, and employment. Now, more than ever, the outcome of this election will determine whether these rights are protected or put further in jeopardy.
During Trump’s time in the White House, his administration enacted more anti-LGBTQIA+ policies than any before it, causing significant harm to the health and safety of this community. In June 2020, Trump’s administration repealed all healthcare regulations that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.As a result, LGBTQIA+ individuals can now be denied both public and private health insurance, including Medicaid, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination in accessing essential care.
Should Project 2025 become a reality, it could usher in even more far-reaching and harmful policies. The agenda seeks to strip rights from the LGBTQIA+ community in every direction, including reversing recent progressive policies. This would mean dismantling the Gender Policy Council (GPC) that was established by President Biden to advance gender equity and equality at home and abroad. The GPC has developed policies addressing economic security, health, gender-based violence and education for women and girls, with special focus on marginalized communities such as LGBTQIA+, Latina, Black and Native American.
The far-right policy agenda goes so far as to propose removing key terms like Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), along with gender, gender identity, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health and reproductive rights from every rule and regulation. This deliberate move underscores their stance when it comes to gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights: these concepts hold no place in their policy, nor the recognition of its legitimacy.
Should Project 2025 come into effect, we could see the reversal of policies that expand the scope of sex discrimination protections, which were adopted by the Biden administration in alignment with the landmark Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. This ruling affirmed that LGBTQIA+ individuals, including transgender people, are protected under federal nondiscrimination laws and recognized gender identity as a protected class of sex. Rolling back these protections would undermine the rights and dignity of LGBTQIA+ individuals, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination in the workplace and beyond.
Transgender people will see their existence denied and their rights stripped away under Project 2025. The authors equate ‘transgender ideology’ to pornography, calling for it to be outlawed. While the far-right policy agenda cannot directly ban transgenderism, it aims to do so indirectly by labeling it as pornography, and then outlawing pornography itself – effectively erasing transgender identity from the U.S.
The far-right policy agenda further aims to dismantle life-saving and vital services for transgender individuals, particularly via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which they want to rename the “Department of Life”. Funding for gender-affirming care for both children and adults will be cut, and new policies would allow healthcare workers to opt out of providing gender-affirming care.
These changes would severely limit access to healthcare for the transgender community, especially minors who seek gender-affirming support. Removing these protections and limiting life-saving care would be dire for all transgender individuals, but would have the most impact on children. Gender dysmorphia can be extremely difficult and painful to deal with, causing mental health issues that can heavily weigh on the person, leading to increased risks of depression, anxiety and suicide. Early studies have shown that puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones are associated with 60% lower odds of moderate/severe depression and 73% lower odds of suicide over a 12 month period.
Project 2025 proposes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stop collecting data on gender identity, arguing that it reinforces the “unscientific” belief that individuals can change their gender. It also calls on the National Institutes of Health to fund research into the “negative effects” of gender-affirming care, from social affirmation to surgical interventions, and to explore therapies aimed at convincing children they are not transgender.
Project 2025 would also redirect federal funds to promote the traditional “nuclear family” model, defined as biological fathers, mothers, and their children. New policies would block LGBTQIA+ couples from fostering or adopting, while offering protection and support to agencies that discriminate against the LGBTQIA+ community. This would limit family planning options for LGBTQIA+ individuals and reinforce exclusionary definitions of family in federal policies.
The LGBTQIA+ community is crucial for the adoption and fostering of children in the USA, providing safe and stable homes for children in need. Same-sex couples have higher rates of adoption (21%) compared to different sex couples (3%) as well as higher rates of fostering (4% vs 0.4%). In 2024, 5 million children were being raised by an LGBTQIA+ parent, highlighting the important role this community plays in providing loving homes.
This policy, like the entire agenda itself, is harmful and reductive. By stating that only a ‘nuclear’ family is appropriate for raising a family, it prevents countless children from being adopted or fostered by truly amazing LGBTQIA+ individuals or couples who could provide safe, supportive homes. Not only will this policy harm LGBTQIA+ individuals, but it will also negatively impact millions of children in the USA awaiting adoption or foster care. Furthermore, the notion that a nuclear family is the ‘optimal environment’ for childbearing has already been deemed ‘baseless’ by the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
While Project 2025 does not explicitly call for the end of marriage equality, it does state intentions to treat same-sex marriages as inferior. The agenda proposes that only ‘faith-based recipients who reaffirm that marriage is between one man and one woman’ would be eligible for Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education grants. This creates a system where same-sex marriages are excluded from receiving the same resources and support, reinforcing inequality.
The LGBTQIA+ community has long fought for its right to equality and the freedom to live peacefully and authentically in the United States. Since the 1950s, mass movements have advocated for the recognition of basic human rights, from marriage equality and anti-discrimination protections to healthcare and the right to serve openly in the U.S. military. The battle to maintain these basic freedoms should not be subject to the ballot box every four years…
As we approach the upcoming general elections, the very lives and rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals are on the line. Rolling back anti-discrimination laws could have devastating consequences, including increased economic insecurity, restricted access to healthcare, and the escalation of violence against members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Denying gender-affirming care to children and adults will put many at risk of depression, mental health crises, and even suicide. Now, more than ever, we must unite and take a stand for equality and justice—your vote this November can shape a future where every individual is respected and valued.
Sources: