On Monday (20 January), Donald Trump was sworn into office for the second time, marking the beginning of a deeply turbulent period for America’s LGBTQIA+ community.
During a prayer service in Washington, the Right Rev Mariann Budde appealed directly to President Trump, calling for him to “have mercy upon” the people in America who are “scared right now.” She added, "There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
The bravery of her pleas cannot be underestimated – nor can its powerful message.
Trump, a twice-impeached convicted felon, left behind a cruel legacy of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation during his first term, including a struck-down ban on trans officers in the military that he has promised to reinstate. This raft of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation lasted long after he left office, with 26 out of 50 states passing bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth as of August 2024.
In his second term, he has promised to be even more relentless in his rollback of LGBTQIA+ rights.
Donald Trump used his first day back in office to sign executive orders stating there are “only two sexes”, as well as moving to scrap government diversity, equity and inclusion policies. He has also promised a number of anti-trans policies, including banning trans women from women’s sports, restricting gender-affirming care even further, and cutting funding from schools teaching LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
In the same month as Trump took office, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a huge overhaul of the company’s content policies, dismantling its hate policies to allow abuse against LGBTQIA+ people. Concerningly, Zuckerberg, alongside other “tech bro billionaires” Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, were present at (and donated to) Trump’s inauguration on Monday, meaning social media companies could have a bigger influence on policy than in previous years, just as anti-LGBTQIA+ content has been allowed to grow unimpeded.
While it’s easy for LGBTQIA+ people and allies in the UK to look on in horror, but presume nothing so extreme could happen here, we in the UK cannot afford to be complacent about Trump’s impact, and should know that Republicans, with Trump at the helm, have the power to make serious waves across the pond.
All of us – regardless of our sexuality – should be taking serious note of the attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community so far in 2025.
Patients need care, not culture wars.
As a queer reporter, I’ve been watching and tracking anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation for years. While anti-queer laws have always been present in both the US and the UK, for me, it seemed like 2022 was a turning point for America, with a tidal wave of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation hitting “record highs” and continuing to creep up ever since – mostly targeting the trans community.
The ACLU, which tracks anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation across the US, reported 533 homophobic and transphobic bills in 2024, with the organisation claiming “a second Trump administration will be even more aggressive and effective than it was before”.
These waves of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in America, many attacking gender-affirming care for trans youth, sparked huge debates online and turned into a global talking point. Despite the herculean efforts of activists and campaigners to advance trans rights in the 2010s and 2020s in the UK, the far-right quickly took hold of the conversation and turned it toxic.
Anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric has crept into UK politics and policy. Puberty blockers, which have been found to be safe and reversible, were banned for trans youth in December 2024, while several UK sporting bodies, like England Hockey and UK Athletics, have introduced policies banning transgender women from competing in the “female” categories.
As a queer woman, I've noticed a worrying rise in online anti-LGBTQIA+ harassment and hate speech since Trump first took office in 2017. While I used to get the odd homophobic DM, since Musk took charge of Twitter/X, the far-right seem even more emboldened in their views, spouting vicious anti-LGBTQIA+ slurs and insults, knowing they are unlikely to have their accounts removed due to rollbacks in hate moderation.
And with Musk looking likely to join Trump’s cabinet, the fact that he has attempted to donate millions to Reform UK’s Nigel Farage – a man who has previously opposed same-sex marriage, defended Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28 and wants to ban “transgender ideology” – should raise serious alarm bells.
Campaigners and activists are fearing the worst from a second Trump presidency, with queer couples rushing to get married for fears same-sex marriage could be overturned. Just after Trump took office, the government website offering reproductive health information went fully offline, causing concerns that abortion could be restricted even further.
Only time will tell what a Trump presidency could mean in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights, but with the work of incredible activists and organisations such as GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign, any attacks on queer rights will be met with a huge fight, and we should be fully prepared to join that fight in the UK.
But one thing is certain: A Trump presidency means that LGBTQIA+ people, particularly trans people, are more vulnerable than they have been in decades, and we should all care about what that means over the next four years.
From reproductive rights to women in conflict.
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