In a year marked by an unprecedented rollback of LGBTQ+ rights and visibility across the United States, communities and advocates are grappling with a wave of legislation and policy changes that threaten decades of progress. From the appointment of controversial figures to federal leadership roles, to the erasure of public symbols and the stripping away of essential healthcare protections, 2025 has emerged as a pivotal—and perilous—moment for queer and trans Americans.
On August 22, 2025, Andrew Bailey, the former Missouri attorney general notorious for his anti-trans policies, was appointed as co-deputy director of the FBI, according to reporting by The Los Angeles Blade. Bailey’s track record is well documented: in 2023, he launched investigations into trans-affirming healthcare providers, including Washington University in St. Louis, Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, and Planned Parenthood, sending sweeping civil investigative demands that sought sensitive patient information. While a judge later partially upheld the legality of these subpoenas under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, federal privacy regulations like HIPAA provided some measure of protection for patient data.
Bailey’s tenure as Missouri’s top legal official was marked by aggressive moves against transgender healthcare. He created an anti-trans “snitch line” that encouraged citizens to report gender care clinics—though it was quickly flooded with messages of support for the trans community and criticism of state policy. Perhaps most disruptive was his emergency order banning gender-affirming care for trans people of all ages unless they had three years of documented gender dysphoria—a requirement that, according to The Missouri Independent, had no scientific basis and caused significant upheaval in the state’s healthcare system.
“Transition-related care is safe and essential, and these unnecessary requirements would only inundate an already overwhelmed healthcare system,” said Dr. Devon Ojeda, then senior national organizer for the National Center for Transgender Equality, in response to Bailey’s order. Civil rights groups, including the ACLU of Missouri, repeatedly accused Bailey of abusing his power to target the trans community. “Bailey seeks to corrupt our health care system and play politics at the expense of life-saving medical care,” stated Gillian Wilcox, Deputy Director for Litigation at the ACLU of Missouri.
Bailey’s influence has not been confined to Missouri. Under President Joe Biden, he joined over 20 GOP-led states in suing the administration over a directive to expand Title IX protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The Eastern District of Missouri sided with Bailey, blocking the policy—an outcome that dovetailed with former President Donald Trump’s efforts to rewrite Title IX to exclude trans people. Now, as Bailey steps into his new federal role under FBI Director Kash Patel, the Department of Justice is itself pursuing subpoenas against gender-affirming care providers, demanding access to sensitive records and communications.
This federal shift coincides with a broader, coordinated campaign to reduce LGBTQ+ visibility and protections nationwide. According to The Los Angeles Blade, more than 700 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced or passed in 2025 alone. Texas stands at the forefront, with over 200 bills targeting everything from gender-affirming care to the very recognition of gender identity in official records. Utah has banned Pride flags from government buildings, imposing daily fines for noncompliance, while funding for Pride events has been slashed. Even public symbols that once signaled solidarity—rainbow crosswalks, murals, and flags—are being removed or outright banned in many cities.
These acts of erasure are not merely symbolic. As The Los Angeles Blade notes, “In stripping away our technicolor stripes, we also lose the unspoken sense of safety and acceptance that they provide to so many who need just that.” The removal of Pride crosswalks and other affirming symbols echoes a pattern seen throughout American history, where public expressions tied to marginalized groups are challenged or erased under the guise of neutrality or tradition. The result is a chilling effect, signaling to LGBTQ+ individuals that their visibility—and, by extension, their belonging—is conditional and under threat.
At the federal level, the Trump administration has announced that starting in 2026, gender-affirming care will no longer be covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits programs. This policy change will affect thousands of transgender federal workers and their families, stripping away access to essential healthcare. Meanwhile, the Department of Education has labeled several Northern Virginia school districts as “high-risk” due to their inclusive policies for transgender students, forcing these districts to pay over $50 million in education funding penalties.
Legal threats to marriage equality are also mounting. Hillary Clinton recently warned that the Supreme Court may soon “return the marriage issue to the states,” urging LGBTQI+ couples to “get married now.” Clinton’s comments, widely circulated in advocacy circles, reflect growing fears that the national right to same-sex marriage—secured under Obergefell v. Hodges—could be rolled back. That fear is not unfounded: Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who was jailed in 2015 for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell, arguing that the ruling was based on a flawed legal doctrine and violated her religious freedoms.
Visibility and documentation of anti-LGBTQ+ abuses are also under attack. The 2024 U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which for years have included robust sections on abuses against LGBTQI+ people, were released this year with almost all references to such abuses deleted. According to Jessica Stern, former U.S. Special Envoy for LGBTQI+ Rights, this erasure is deliberate: “It tells authoritarian governments they can abuse minorities with impunity. It also signals to Americans that LGBTQI+ equality is negotiable here at home, too.” The removal of these references not only undermines accountability but also denies asylum judges and advocates critical information needed to protect vulnerable individuals fleeing persecution.
Despite this bleak climate, acts of resistance and solidarity persist. WorldPride 2025 was held in Washington, D.C., serving as both a celebration and a protest against escalating anti-LGBTQ+ threats. “Our rainbow crosswalks may be dropping like soldiers but the people they represent are still standing,” declared The Los Angeles Blade, capturing the resilience and determination of queer communities nationwide.
As the landscape for LGBTQ+ rights in America shifts dramatically, advocates and allies are calling for renewed vigilance and action. The stakes, they argue, are nothing less than the right to exist openly and authentically in public life—a right that, once lost, is never easily reclaimed. The coming months will test the resolve of communities and policymakers alike, as the nation confronts what may be the most significant challenge to LGBTQ+ equality in a generation.
