LGBTQ rights groups file lawsuits against Trump administration over executive orders
Shreedhar Rathi | Feb 21, 2025, 08:56 IST
( Image credit : AP )
LGBTQ rights organizations Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund have sued the Trump administration over executive orders impacting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. They claim these orders violate constitutional protections and harm organizations relying on federal funding. Plaintiffs argue the orders force compliance with government censorship, jeopardizing essential services and education for LGBTQ+ and other affected communities.
LGBTQ rights organizations have filed lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s recent executive orders, arguing that they will severely impact essential programs and violate constitutional protections.
The lawsuits, filed by Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund, claim that President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, along with what the administration refers to as “gender ideology,” are unconstitutional. The plaintiffs include several nonprofits that rely on federal funding, and they assert that the orders violate their Fifth Amendment rights, which protect against the deprivation of liberty without due process.
Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and one of the plaintiffs, described the administration’s actions as an attempt to erase transgender and non-binary individuals. TerMeer stated that the lawsuits represent a refusal to be silenced.
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which provides services to communities affected by HIV, expected to receive over $641,000 in federal funds this year. The GLBT Historical Society, which operates the first museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ history in the United States, receives at least $130,000 in federal funding and argues that its ability to educate the public would be significantly harmed without these resources.
The executive orders in question require organizations to certify that they do not engage in DEI work or promote what the administration calls radical gender ideology. Advocacy groups argue that this condition forces nonprofits to comply with government censorship. Jose Abrigo, senior attorney at Lambda Legal, stated that the government is attempting to impose its viewpoint on private organizations that serve the public good.
A separate lawsuit, also filed by Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund, represents the National Urban League, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. This case claims that the administration is violating the right to free speech and due process and is engaging in intentional discrimination through its enforcement of the orders.
The White House has not yet provided a response to the lawsuits, and the Department of Justice declined to comment. As these legal battles unfold, advocacy organizations remain committed to defending civil rights and protecting funding for critical programs.