In a sweeping move last week, the US President Donald Trump‘s administration removed over 8,000 federal web pages from the Internet, targeting content related to diversity, gender, and equality initiatives (popularly called DEI). This action follows executive orders mandating the elimination of programs promoting “gender ideology.”
President Trump defended these measures, stating, “DEI would have ruined our country, and now it’s dead.” He also signed an executive order aimed at restricting gender care for individuals under the age of 19, calling for an end to federal support for such care.
Agencies impacted by the purge
The purge has reportedly affected numerous agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Census Bureau, and the Food and Drug Administration. Notably, the CDC’s main data portal was taken offline to comply with an executive order aimed at combating “gender ideology extremism.”
Web pages containing information on climate initiatives and transgender care have been among those removed. For instance, the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index and Environmental Justice Index—tools assessing health risks in vulnerable communities—have been taken down.
A notice on the CDC’s website states, “CDC’s website is being modified to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders.” Similarly, the Census Bureau’s page on sexual orientation and gender identity was temporarily inaccessible.
Memo to government employees
These actions align with a memo from the Office of Personnel Management, which directed all federal agencies to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The memo outlined steps to terminate federal funding of gender ideology and ordered the removal of related content from public platforms.
Additionally, federal employees have been instructed to remove pronouns from their email signatures, and agencies are required to recognize individuals strictly by their biological sex. The State Department has also suspended passport applications using a gender-neutral marker such as ‘X.’
The removal of these web pages has raised concerns among researchers and public health experts, who emphasize the importance of access to accurate data for effective healthcare and research. Many are now working to archive lost information to preserve it for future use.
Legal challenges to these executive actions have already begun, with lawsuits filed against the administration’s rollback of transgender rights and DEI programs.