2025 will be remembered as a year of dramatic change and fierce debate for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, marked by a surge in legal battles, sweeping executive orders, and a patchwork of victories and setbacks across the country. With Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President on January 20, a new era began—one that saw both a conservative legal movement emboldened and LGBTQ+ communities bracing for impact.
In the weeks leading up to Trump’s return to the White House, LGBTQ+ couples rushed to tie the knot, with New York City alone witnessing a 33 percent increase in marriage licenses compared to the previous year, according to NPR. The sense of urgency was palpable, as many feared that hard-won rights could be rolled back. These anxieties were not unfounded. Within hours of his swearing-in, President Trump signed executive orders undoing protections for LGBTQ+ Americans and pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, cheered on by a crowd eager for change, as reported by QNotes Carolinas.
Trump’s cabinet picks reflected a sharp rightward turn, with Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Scott Bessent—an openly gay billionaire—as Treasury Secretary, Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, Pam Bondi as Attorney General, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. While Bessent’s appointment made him the highest-ranking LGBTQ+ official in U.S. history, it also drew criticism from figures like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who remarked, “A billionaire who supports more tax cuts for every single billionaire in America, is not someone who is watching out for hardworking families.”
Meanwhile, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal powerhouse founded four decades ago by James Dobson and other Christian leaders, had what Baptist News Global described as a “very good year.” In 2025 alone, ADF made four appearances before the U.S. Supreme Court, winning a case on June 26 that allowed South Carolina to redirect Medicaid funds away from Planned Parenthood. The group also represented Christian counselor Kaley Chiles in challenging Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy and defended New Jersey crisis pregnancy centers facing state investigation. Although ADF lost a battle over taxpayer funding for Oklahoma’s St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, it quickly pivoted to support a similar effort in Colorado.
ADF’s influence extended far beyond the courtroom. The organization backed 14 of President Trump’s executive orders, including those aimed at “keeping men out of women’s sports,” ending “radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling,” and “protecting children from chemical and surgical mutilation.” Additional orders sought to “restore freedom of speech,” “end federal censorship,” and “eradicate anti-Christian bias.” As ADF put it, “The inauguration of Donald Trump as our 47th president has become a pivotal moment for our country. After enduring stifling authoritarianism at home and witnessing it abroad, Americans want a government that protects inalienable rights and honors the rule of law.”
On February 5, Trump signed an executive order barring transgender athletes from competing on women’s school sports teams, fulfilling a campaign pledge to “keep men out of women’s sports.” The move was followed by a series of state-level bills, with ADF working alongside the Family Policy Alliance and Focus on the Family’s state partners to pass laws against transgender sports participation in two dozen states.
Legal battles over LGBTQ+ rights continued to escalate. On May 6, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 order, allowed the Trump administration’s ban on transgender military service to take effect while lower court challenges proceeded. The year also saw the Supreme Court hear arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case challenging Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, with a decision still pending as of late 2025.
As the administration pressed its agenda, the LGBTQ+ community faced mounting challenges. Medicaid cuts signed into law in June threatened to strip health coverage from 11.8 million people by 2034, disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ adults—19 percent of whom rely on Medicaid, with the number rising to 28 percent among transgender adults. Corporate sponsorships for Pride events plummeted as companies like Mastercard, Nissan, Boeing, and Comcast pulled support amid economic pressures and backlash against Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The Trump administration’s impact was also felt in the cultural sphere. The National Park Service, under executive order, removed references to transgender and queer individuals from the Stonewall National Monument website. The entire board of the Kennedy Center was replaced by conservative appointees, a move designed to block presentations related to LGBTQ+ culture. Yet, not all cultural news was grim: Disney shareholders and American Airlines both overwhelmingly rejected proposals to opt out of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, reaffirming their commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Political shifts at the state and local level added to the year’s turbulence. In North Carolina, a new law flipped county election boards from Democratic to Republican control. The state’s Republican legislature passed HB 805, defining “sex” based on reproductive anatomy at birth and restricting gender transition treatments for incarcerated individuals, along with SB 442, which shielded parents from being labeled abusive for not affirming a child’s gender identity.
Nationally, the Trump administration cut the specialized “Press 3” LGBTQ+ youth option from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in July, a move widely seen as pandering to Trump’s political base. Still, organizations like The Trevor Project continued to offer support to those in need.
Amid these challenges, the LGBTQ+ community found moments of resilience and celebration. WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., marked the 25th anniversary of the event with parades, concerts by Shakira and Khalid, and community gatherings. In Charlotte, the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce opened the Impact Center, providing resources and space for entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and educational programs. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova became a minority owner of the Carolina Ascent FC, furthering her advocacy for gender equity in sports.
Religious dynamics were also in flux. Pew Research Center data revealed that only 48 percent of LGBTQ+ Americans identify with a religion, compared to 73 percent of non-LGBTQ+ adults. In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV met with Father James Martin, reaffirming a message of welcome for LGBTQ+ Catholics after a year that saw the passing of Pope Francis.
Looking ahead, ADF attorneys are set to return to the Supreme Court in January 2026 to defend legislation from West Virginia and Idaho barring transgender athletes from women’s sports. Meanwhile, the possible appointment of ADF senior attorney Erin Hawley—a key figure in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade—to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit signals that the legal and political battles over LGBTQ+ rights are far from over.
For many, 2025 was a year that tested the strength and resilience of America’s LGBTQ+ community, with every victory and setback serving as a reminder that the fight for equality is ongoing and deeply woven into the nation’s legal, political, and cultural fabric.
