"Erasure is not neutral": The inextricable link between LGBTQ+ rights & a functioning democracyhttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/erasure-is-not-neutral-the-inextricable-link-between-lgbtq-rights-a-functioning-democracy/ 🔗Christy Perez (27 Jan 2026)
As the second Trump administration passes the one-year mark, LGBTQ+ people across the United States are living through a profound and destabilizing shift. What has unfolded over the past year is a deliberate reorientation of federal power away from civil rights and toward state-sanctioned exclusion.
"This administration has shown a glaring lack of care for human life," Bentley Hudson, Georgia State Director for the Human Rights Campaign, told LGBTQ Nation. "Anything that affirms the dignity of another human being is being undermined because human dignity and connection are the antithesis of authoritarianism."
From the first week of the administration, that posture was made clear. President Trump immediately signed a barrage of anti-LGBTQ+ executive actions, including a reversal of federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people and the dismantling of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives across the federal government.
Compounding this retreat is the rollback of federal data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity. Changes to surveys and reporting practices mean fewer reliable statistics on LGBTQ+ populations, making it harder to document disparities in health care, housing, employment, and education. Advocates warn that when communities are not counted, their needs are easier to ignore.
One year into Trump's second term, LGBTQ+ people face an unmistakable contraction of federal protection. Yet the movement for equality has adapted. In the absence of reliable federal leadership, communities are organizing locally, building people power, and linking LGBTQ+ liberation to the broader defense of democracy and human dignity.
