Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump has terminated a key Biden-era executive action aimed at advancing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) individuals worldwide, marking a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy.
The Presidential Memorandum of February 4, 2021, titled “Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World,” was rescinded as part of a broader rollback of progressive policies enacted during Trump’s first week back in office.
This policy was evidenced by millions of dollars in U.S. AID funding to promote LGBTQ agendas worldwide. Many of those programs have also been canceled. Elon Musk and D.O.G.E. have also cut funding to those programs through their review of US AID contracts.
Signed by President Joe Biden shortly after his 2021 inauguration, the memorandum directed U.S. government agencies engaged abroad to prioritize the promotion and protection of LGBTQI+ rights through diplomacy and foreign assistance. It sought to combat violence, discrimination, and criminalization based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, positioning the United States as a global leader in what supporters called a human rights crusade.
The order mandated agencies to support vulnerable LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers, respond swiftly to abuses, and work with international partners to advance nondiscrimination—a move Biden hailed as placing the U.S. “at the forefront of this struggle.”
The memorandum built on a 2011 Obama-era directive and required agencies to review and rescind any conflicting policies from Trump’s first term (2017-2021). It also called for annual reports on progress and allocated resources, including $10 million in 2021 for the Global Equality Fund to aid grassroots LGBTQI+ organizations worldwide. Critics, however, labeled it “transgender propaganda,” arguing it imposed Western cultural values on sovereign nations and prioritized ideological goals over broader diplomatic interests.
Trump’s decision to rescind the order, formalized through an executive action signed on January 20, aligns with his administration’s pledge to dismantle what he has called “radical gender ideology” in federal policy. The move was part of a sweeping repeal of 78 Biden executive orders, including several focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In his inaugural address, Trump declared, “This week, I will end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,” signaling a return to a more traditionalist stance.