A new executive order signed by President Donald Trump has sparked outrage across the LGBTQ community and beyond. The order demands a dramatic revision of how American history is told—specifically targeting trans people and their contributions. One of the order’s main targets is the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. Trump condemned a planned exhibit highlighting trans athletes and declared that the accomplishments of trans people, especially trans women, must be removed because they represent an “improper ideology.” The directive empowers Vice President J.D.
Vance and Trump’s cabinet to overhaul the museum’s leadership, programs, and funding—unless the institution agrees “not to recognize men as women in any respect.” LGBTQ advocates see that language as a direct attack on trans inclusion. Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson called the order “fascism.” She said, “Queer history is American history.” Trump also threatened to strip federal funding from any museum or park promoting what he calls “inconsistent ideologies,” casting a shadow over landmarks like the Stonewall National Monument. Earlier this year, Stonewall quietly removed the word “transgender” from its website following Trump’s first anti-trans order.
Alan Spears of the National Parks Conservation Association warned that this latest move could severely damage the Park Service’s ability to protect and interpret American history. In another alarming twist, Trump’s order also condemns the Smithsonian for describing race as a “social construct,” insisting it’s a “biological reality.” This order is a stark reminder that under the Trump 2.0 administration, queer history—and truth itself—is under threat.
