What does a Donald Trump presidency mean for LGBTQ+ rights?

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders in his first three months in office that impact the lives of LGBTQ+ Americans, from healthcare, to legal recognition, to protection from discrimination.

Those who do not comply with the directives have begun facing a backlash from the administration.

The Department of Education announced on Friday it would cut off federal funding for Maine's public schools over the state's failure to comply with a ban on transgender athletes in women's and girl's sport.

Maine, which has prohibited discrimination based on gender identity since 2021, had received about $250 million in funding towards federal K-12 education.

The state is one of many arenas where Trump's orders are being fought. Multiple LGBTQ+ organisations have launched legal challenges against Trump's influence since January. 

The Kansas governor attempted to veto a bill that would protect religious parents from having to affirm a child's diverse sexuality or gender identity when adopting or fostering, but this was overruled by the Kansas House and Senate on April 11.

A group of doctors from Harvard Medical School also filed a lawsuit in March over the removal of articles from a government-run website about their research that referenced LGBTQ+ people.

Trump has since frozen more than $2 billion in federal funds for the university.

Here's what you need to know:

What action has Trump taken on LGBTQ+ rights?

Trump started his second term on Jan. 20 by signing an executive order stating the United States would only recognise two sexes - male and female - before scrapping the use of a gender-neutral "X" marker in passports.

He said federal funds would not be used to "promote gender identity," government guidance documents on trans issues would be removed and trans female inmates would go to men's prisons.

Trump also signed an order banning gender-affirming care, which can include medical, surgical and mental health services, for anyone under the age of 19.

Another directive blocked trans soldiers from serving. Defence Department funds will not be used for gender-affirming care, and anyone applying for the military with a "history of" gender dysphoria will not be considered.

Trump signed an order blocking trans women from competing in female categories of sport, including in high schools, universities and grassroots organisations. 

Schools cannot use federal funding for purposes relating to "gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology."

Trump also terminated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes across the federal government and ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance, impacting HIV services around the globe.

A waiver for life-saving HIV care and treatment did not apply to gay and bisexual men or trans women accessing the preventative medicine PrEP.

What did Trump do during his first term?

After his first election in 2016, Trump sought to roll back anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people across various settings, including health care, employment, adoption, school restrooms, housing and homeless shelters.

He banned trans Americans from serving in the military, which his successor reversed, and removed LGBTQ+ content from federal websites.

By the end of his first term, nearly a third of federal judges were Trump selections with lifetime appointments - of whom 40% had demonstrable anti-LGBTQ+ bias, an analysis by Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ+ rights organisation, found in January 2021.

What have LGBTQ+ groups said?

Anti-trans executive orders "targeting the trans and non-binary community on day one will cause harm, especially for young people," said Janson Wu of the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention group for LGBTQ+ people.   

Seventeen trans female inmates have been protected against transfer to male prisons in lawsuits against Trump's executive order, law firm Rosen Bien Galvan and Grunfeld said on Feb. 28.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing Trump on behalf of seven trans and non-binary people who cannot get passports that match their identity.

The ACLU and LGBTQ+ groups have also filed a legal challenge to Trump's ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors on behalf of seven trans people.

Another lawsuit, filed by a coalition led by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, challenges three executive orders targeting trans people, HIV funding, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

This article was updated on Wednesday April 16, 2025 at 10:00 GMT, to include the latest developments.

(Reporting by Lucy Middleton; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Jon Hemming.)