THE GAY AGENDA
Trump Administration’s Frontline Attack on the LGBTQ+ Community
Early Term Actions to Hamper and Even Eliminate Health Resources for Queer and Transgender Americans.
June 19, 2025
Image: Adobe Stock
Image by William Cameron
Image by William Cameron
Image: Adobe Stock
USE ARROWS TO MOVE THROUGH IMAGES
By Mike Broemmel
Even prior to the start of the second Trump Administration, the LGBTQ+ community historically faced roadblocks in regard to healthcare access and suitable medical insurance. Overall, the queer community has been more reliant on public insurance options regarding their medical care. More than 40 percent of the individuals who self-identify as being part of the queer community are likely to rely upon public sources to pay for preventative health and medical care, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. This contrasts with one-third of non-LGBTQ+ adults.
In addition, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a full 15 percent of LGBTQ+ adults completely are uninsured. This contrasts with 12 percent of the community-at-large. Significantly, transgender adults have a markedly higher rate of uninsurance at nearly 20 percent of that population.
A consistent pattern over the past decade includes approximately 17 percent of the general population in the United States postponing or completely avoiding medical care due to cost. That percentage is nearly double for members of the transgender community, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Abrupt Wall of Silence: Trump Administration Initiates Widespread LGBTQ+ Healthcare Information Blackout
Renowned for his fondness for walls he intends to block people from crossing into the United States, after assuming the presidency, Trump carried that theme one dangerous step further. He quickly walled out members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as their doctors and advocates from accessing healthcare and medical resources online. For a host of reasons, queer individuals rely heavily on virtual portals to garner a wide range of health information.
Among Donald Trump’s earliest Executive Orders were actions that resulted in a ubiquitous blackout of essential health information and associated scientific research. These steps included taking down Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health websites dedicated to matters associated with LGBTQ+ healthcare and personal safety.
Image by William Cameron
The Center for American Progress Reports that 20 percent of LGBTQ+ adults avoid seeking necessary medical care because they fear discrimination. The information blackout imposed by the Trump Administration proves to be particularly harmful to these individuals.
Assault on Transgender Care in Trump’s “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill”
During the earliest days of the Trump presidency, the chief executive began working to eliminate gender-affirming care for transgender individuals under the age of 18. He initiated this process via an executive order. More than a few D.C. observers and queer activists pegged this as being designed primarily as fodder for the MAGA movement. These actions were only the beginning of the Trump Administration’s assault on LGBTQ+ healthcare.
Typically, legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate receives what is known as a “short title” beyond the simple Bill or Resolution numbers and the technical name of the proposed law. Such is the case with House Resolution 1, a massive piece of legislation introduced on May 16, 2025. The technical name of the resolution is “To provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025.” The short title mimics Trump and officially is known as The One, Big, Beautiful Bill.
A tremendous amount has been packed into The One, Big, Beautiful Bill. A primary focus has been on elements of the legislation that will continue a significant tax increase to the wealthiest people in the nation, a plot that will increase the national debt between $4-$5 trillion over the course of the coming decade.
On Capitol Hill and among the U.S. general population, less attention is paid to provisions in the resolution addressing essential transgender healthcare. The resolution, as passed by the House of Representatives in the middle of the night at 2:00 a.m. on May 22, 2025, completely bans transgender affirming medical care for persons on Medicaid. In addition, transgender individuals who obtain health insurance coverage through the healthcare exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act will face the same ban. Simply put, if this resolution becomes law, nearly all transgender people in the nation will not have affordable access to required, fundamental healthcare.
Image by William Cameron
At the time of passage of The One, Big, Beautiful Bill, 276,000 transgender adults are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute. A large majority of the remaining transgender adults receive their insurance coverage through the exchanges. In other words, if legislation passes the Senate, after which it will without a doubt be signed by Trump.
On a related note, transgender access to gender-affirming care has been tracked and analyzed by the National Center for Transgender Equality. Even among transgender people who have traditional health insurance, nearly a quarter of those individuals report being denied coverage for medically necessary gender-affirming care and treatment. As of Pride Month 2025, almost 40,000 transgender adults reside in states that already ban gender-affirming care.
Bracing for What Comes Next: Preparing the Community
In conclusion, the LGBTQ+ community must brace itself for what is apt to come next regarding the assault on the community’s access to healthcare by the Trump Administration. There are several practical tactics members of the queer community are encouraged to employ sooner rather than later, according to physicians and other healthcare providers.
In this day and age, community members are deemed best served connecting with a primary care physician who specializes in medical services for queer or transgender populations specifically. There are physicians who focus their practices on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, including gender-affirming care.
On a related note, in the event that limiting LGBTQ+ healthcare opportunities and insurance availabilities continues on a pathway to further limitation and even elimination, community members are strongly encouraged to take advantage of what is available at this time. There is an understandable tendency to put off such basic medical activities like preventative care. With the climate fostered by the Trump Administration, delaying preventative care opportunities arguably is no longer an advisable course.
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About the author
Writing and journalism has been at the heart of Mike’s life after graduating from college with a degree in political science and journalism and beginning his career in the White House Office of Media Relations and Planning (and then in the Office of the First Lady). A primary focus of his work has been in the realm of political analysis and commentary. Mike is also a playwright with several productions addressing issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion that have been produced internationally.