Whats Next

[goingontomorrow]

Update on LGBT Information Removals from U.S. Government Websites

It has been observed that references to "LGBTQIA+" and similar acronyms have been shortened to "LGB" on several U.S. government websites. However, some agencies, such as the National Archives and the National Library of Medicine, appear unaffected.

When government agencies remove web pages, the standard procedure is to use a tool called Pagefreeze, which archives the content while indicating that the page is no longer actively maintained.

Pagefreeze Information: Pagefreeze for Government

Example of a site with Pagefreeze: Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Rule to Strengthen Protections for Youth in the Child Welfare System – HHS

The Children’s Bureau within the Administration for Children & Families has taken the approach of marking pages as archived rather than removing them entirely:

LGBTQIA2S+ Resources – Administration for Children & Families

Pages That Are Still Active

National Archives Title: LGBTQIA+ Research Resources URL: https://www.archives.gov/research/lgbt/lgbtqia

National Library of Medicine Title: The Role of Public Health in Ensuring LGBT+ Health Equity URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4689648/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Title: Support for the LGBTQI+ Community URL: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-support/how-to-cope/support-for-lgbtqi-community

Library of Congress Title: LGBTQ+ Pride Month Resources URL: https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/resources/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Title: LGBTQ+ Veteran Care URL: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/LGBT/index.asp

National Park Service Title: LGBTQ Heritage Initiative URL: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkID=442&projectID=53065

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Title: LGBTQI+ Competency Training Resources URL: https://www.hhs.gov/programs/topic-sites/lgbtqi/enhanced-resources/competency-training/index.html

Pages That Have Been Removed (With User Created Archive Links)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Title: Protecting the Rights of LGBTQI+ People Removed URL: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/lgbtqi/index.html Archived Version: Wayback Machine

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Title: LGBTQI+ Health & Well-being Removed URL: https://www.hhs.gov/programs/topic-sites/lgbtqi/index.html Archived Version: Wayback Machine

U.S. Department of State Title: Global Equality Fund Removed URL: https://www.state.gov/global-equality-fund Archived Version: Wayback Machine

Youth.gov Title: LGBT Youth Resources Removed URL: https://youth.gov/federal-links/lgbt-youth-resources Archived Version: Wayback Machine

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Title: HUD LGBTQI+ Resources Removed URL: https://www.hud.gov/lgbtqi Archived Version: Wayback Machine

U.S. Department of Justice Title: LGBTQI+ Working Group Removed URL: https://www.justice.gov/crt/lgbtqi-working-group Archived Version: Wayback Machine

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Title: LGBTQ+ Special Emphasis Program Removed URL: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/general-information/staff-offices/office-assistant-secretary-civil-rights/special-emphasis-programs/lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-and-queer-lgbtq-program Archived Version: Wayback Machine

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Title: Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth Removed URL: https://www.cdc.gov/youth-safe-environments/communication-resources/index.html Archived Version: Wayback Machine

U.S. Census Bureau Title: LGBT Adults Report Anxiety, Depression at All Ages Removed URL: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/12/lgbt-adults-report-anxiety-depression-at-all-ages.html Archived Version: Wayback Machine

Notable Change in Terminology

The U.S. Department of State has a webpage titled "LGB Travelers", which previously included broader LGBTQ+ information but now only references "LGB."

URL: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/lgb.html

[goingontomorrow]

I have a 9 to 5 but the country is still ending

I used to think the world would end in a violent, global dystopian nightmare. But I am starting to realize how naïve it was to believe that the U.S. couldn’t decline without dragging the rest of the world down with it. Looking back, that assumption seems foolish.

I’ve heard stories about how Venezuela was once a thriving nation but fell from power in the 2010s. More importantly, even though Venezuela may now be unrecognizable compared to what it once was, it is still very much a country. The same goes for Iran and Syria, both of which once had levels of global influence before declining due to their governments' actions.

I am not sure if it is because I am an American or if this is something every citizen feels, but we tend to view our country as a permanent force until reality proves otherwise. Lately, it is sinking in that I don’t think I can trust any nation to avoid falling into chaos, especially not this one. Even if things do improve here, how am I supposed to trust that it won’t all happen again?

It is clear to me that this is the end of what this country once was. Yes, it has been in decline for some time, but it wasn’t a lost cause. Now, I am no longer sure we can ever go back.

But this isn’t an apocalypse, even within America. It is the end of one version of this country, and there’s no going back to what it was or to what it might have become. And yet, tomorrow morning, I will get up and go to work, just like it is a normal Wednesday. Humans are strange creatures. Even as society unravels, we cling to routines and act as if everything is fine. Maybe that is our biggest flaw, this ability to normalize the abnormal. It feels like no one is taking any of this seriously, even as I sit at my desk, watching it all happen.

Outside, ICE raids are taking place, live-streamed online for amusement. Government workers, ordinary people trying to make sensible regulations they understand better than politicians, are being fired en masse. People are being removed from the military because of who they are. A Fox News host now controls the most overfunded military in the world, and someone openly consuming Russian propaganda is in charge of homeland security.

And with all this happening, I will be expected to go to work tomorrow morning and act like everything is normal, as if it is not affecting me.

[goingontomorrow]

Transgender Trump's America

I am a transgender American. I lived through Trump’s first term, starting in high school and lasting until I was halfway through college. I don’t claim to have great insight or even the perfect words to say, but I need to talk about the impacts of what has happened—and what may happen again.

During Trump’s first presidency, the military ban on transgender troops was enacted. Yesterday, it was reinstated. As a trans American, this decision has had the most profound impact on me. It was dehumanizing and traumatizing to witness how little people seemed to care. While I have reservations about the U.S. military-industrial complex, the fact that we were so openly discriminated against and barred from serving felt like a stark reminder that we aren’t even considered “good enough” to die for our country. I also remember pride flags being banned from U.S. embassies and Trump’s former vice president openly supporting conversion therapy. Bathroom bans were also a reality, though they were eventually protested and overturned for a time.

However, it’s important to point out how much worse things have gotten in this country over the past four years. More states have banned hormone therapy for minors than have banned conversion therapy. Bathroom bans now feel like a recurring issue. Things deteriorated so much that I felt I had to flee a red state as if my survival depended on it.

This brings me to why I started writing this. When I left, I felt like I had no other choice, but it didn’t seem entirely mandatory at the time. I could still go about my life, and as an adult, I could access hormones in that state. But after leaving, I realized I couldn’t breathe. My safety and sanity had been eroded so slowly that I hadn’t fully noticed. It was like rocks were being added to my chest one by one, and once they were removed, I couldn’t understand how I had ever lived with them there.

Now, with Trump back in office, I feel that same pressure returning—but this time, I refuse to ignore it. There’s a cost to this awareness, though. Instead of the pressure building unnoticed, I’ll feel every moment of it. It’s up to me to stay informed: to know what rights are being stripped away, what changes are happening, and how I am impacted. I cannot afford to become complacent.

There will never be an America without trans people, but we will always be used as collateral by those who want to make a point. My fear is that there won’t be enough people willing to fight against that. For now, I’m focusing on what I can do. I’ll start saving so that I can flee the country if it becomes necessary.