Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, political strategies like Project 2025 are no longer theoretical—they’re unfolding in real time. Championed by ultra-conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and backed by a coalition of right-wing organizations, Project 2025 is actively reshaping federal policies, with trans rights among the hardest hit. Its sweeping agenda is turning campaign rhetoric into government action, and LGBTQ Americans are already feeling the effects.

The 920-page manifesto, formally titled Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, lays out policies to dismantle protections for LGBTQ communities and severely restrict gender-affirming care. Now that this agenda is being implemented at the federal level, it’s more urgent than ever to understand what’s at stake—and how we fight back.

What Is Project 2025?

Project 2025 is a government transition playbook crafted before the 2024 election to help a Republican president take immediate and sweeping control of the executive branch. Developed by the Heritage Foundation in partnership with more than 100 conservative groups—including Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council—Project 2025 outlines how to restructure federal agencies, centralize power, and eliminate policies seen as obstacles to the far-right agenda.

That vision is now materializing. The new administration is using the Project 2025 blueprint to push through executive orders, reshape staffing at federal agencies, and target programs that support LGBTQ inclusion. GLAAD has warned that the plan “severely curtails non-discrimination protections, erases LGBTQ people from federal data collection, and removes mentions of sexual orientation or gender identity from federally funded programs.”

Trans Rights Under Direct Attack

One of Project 2025’s most dangerous tenets is redefining gender solely as biological sex assigned at birth. This change is now being applied across federal agencies, from passport processing to Social Security, housing, education, and healthcare. Trans and non-binary Americans are increasingly finding their identities denied or erased in official records.

The administration has also moved forward with bans on gender-affirming care for minors, defunding of clinics that offer such care, and stripping Medicaid coverage for transition-related procedures. Healthcare professionals are under threat of losing licensure or facing legal action simply for affirming a young person’s gender identity.

These rollbacks defy scientific consensus. Major medical associations like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics continue to support gender-affirming care as life-saving and evidence-based. Yet Project 2025 is weaponizing the executive branch to implement broad ideological policy in its place.

Schools, Speech, and the Silencing of Queer Identity

Education policy is another battlefield. The administration has already begun dismantling protections for LGBTQ students, revoking Title IX guidance that previously supported trans students’ rights to use bathrooms and play on sports teams aligned with their gender identity.

Funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs is being eliminated, and federal employees promoting inclusive practices face reassignment or dismissal. LGBTQ-inclusive language in training materials, public health campaigns, and school curriculums is being scrubbed. The impact is real, and it’s growing.

These attacks are not just about limiting resources—they’re about erasing the existence of LGBTQ people in public life.

From Policy to Action

During the campaign, elements of Project 2025 may have seemed like talking points. Today, they are orders being signed and directives being enforced. According to the New York Times, over 20,000 vetted loyalists have been installed across federal agencies to carry out this overhaul. The effort to gut LGBTQ rights is organized, resourced, and already underway.

This isn’t just about a rollback of Obama- or Biden-era policies—it’s about dismantling decades of civil rights protections. Legal experts warn that without pushback, the next four years could set a precedent that’s difficult to reverse.

What the LGBTQ Community Is Doing Now

National and grassroots organizations are not sitting idle. Groups like the Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, GLAAD, and the National Center for Transgender Equality are tracking policy shifts, filing lawsuits, and coordinating response campaigns to raise awareness.

Community resistance is also growing at the local level. LGBTQ centers, educators, health professionals, and youth organizations are rallying to protect resources, provide safe spaces, and support legal challenges. But they need widespread public awareness, political engagement, and financial backing.

Speak Up Before It’s Too Late

Project 2025 is not a hypothetical. It is here. And its policies are being enacted with speed and precision. This is a defining moment for LGBTQ rights in the United States, especially for trans people who have become the primary targets.

Every conversation, every vote, every donation, and every act of resistance matters. Stay informed. Support the organizations doing the work. And above all, speak up. Silence enables oppression, and visibility is a form of power.

Have thoughts about Project 2025 or its impact on your life or community? Share your experience in the comments to help others stay informed and inspired.