In a move that’s raising alarms across academic and LGBTQ communities, the Trump administration has escalated its attacks on Harvard University, this time citing “LGBTQ graduate majors” as one of the reasons.
What began as accusations of anti-Semitism and demands to dismantle DEI programs has now expanded into a sweeping campaign against Harvard’s academic freedom. On Fox News Monday night, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated,
“We need more electricians and plumbers… and less LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard University.”
Leavitt suggested the president’s priority is to shift federal funds from Ivy League schools to trade and state colleges that promote what she called “American values.” But Harvard does not offer an “LGBTQ graduate major.” Like most schools, it offers a program in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality—an interdisciplinary field that includes LGBTQ studies, among many others. This follows a string of punitive actions from the Trump White House, including a $2.2 billion federal grant freeze and a now-challenged ban on international students at Harvard. These were triggered in part by the school’s refusal to discipline students protesting Israel’s war on Gaza.
In response, Harvard filed lawsuits, calling the administration’s actions unconstitutional and dangerous. President Alan Garber, who is Jewish, wrote that the government is trying to control who they can hire and what they can teach, calling the demands illegal and a threat to academic freedom.
He also warned that cutting research funding would hurt future medical breakthroughs, impacting cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and care for wounded veterans.
As court battles begin, the LGBTQ community, students, and scholars nationwide are watching closely—because for many, this isn’t just about Harvard. It’s about what kind of education, and whose lives, this country is willing to value.
