First They Came for DEI - What Comes Next?
History has warned us. If they can erase one group, they can erase others. This isn't about trans rights or DEI - It's about Civil Rights.
Albert Cashier fought in over 40 battles during the Civil War. His fellow soldiers respected him, his commanding officers promoted him, and when the war was over, he lived as a veteran for decades—until doctors discovered he had been assigned female at birth.
Cashier wasn’t alone. Dozens of soldiers during the Civil War enlisted under male names, fought in battle, and died without their comrades ever questioning their abilities. Some, like Cathay Williams, disguised themselves just to be allowed to serve. Others, like Franklin Flint Thompson, were battlefield spies.
They fought. They bled. They died. And yet, over 150 years later, we’re still debating whether transgender and gender-nonconforming people belong in the U.S. military.
But this isn’t just about the military.
It’s about a sweeping campaign to erase trans people from public life—one that’s happening right now, across every level of government. It’s about the attacks on DEI and black and women’s history.
This is systematic. This is intentional. This is erasure. And this is a distraction.
While millions of Americans struggle with housing, wages, and healthcare, Trump and far-right lawmakers are forcing the country into a culture war that hurts everyone—just to keep us divided.
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Part 1: The Military Purge—Erasing Identities, Erasing History
March 5 is the deadline. That’s when the Pentagon must erase all DEI-related materials from military websites.
What’s being erased?
Military history pages on the Tuskegee Airmen, women in service, and LGBTQ+ veterans, the stories that tell us who served, fought, and died for this country.
Recruitment materials designed for Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ service members.
Training documents on gender and racial equality in leadership.
The military initially removed Tuskegee Airmen and WASP history lessons from training materials as well—but public outrage forced them to reverse course. The fact that it happened at all proves how far this administration is willing to go in wiping out diversity initiatives.
Read our coverage here:
And it’s not stopping at history.
Trump is also forcing the Pentagon to purge transgender service members, despite zero evidence that they harm readiness. Multiple studies, many conducted by the military itself, prove this again and again.
The reality: The military is already struggling to meet recruitment goals, so why remove qualified, trained troops? Because this isn’t about readiness. It’s about erasure.
Part 2: The Federal-Level Purge—Trump’s War on LGBTQ+ Identity
Trump’s administration is wiping LGBTQ+ people from federal policy—but this attack isn’t just happening at the national level.
In Wisconsin and Iowa, lawmakers are aggressively rolling back LGBTQ+ rights:
Wisconsin’s “Help Not Harm Act” would criminalize gender-affirming care—even for trans adults.
Iowa just revoked anti-discrimination protections for trans people, gutting civil rights laws.
These aren’t isolated attacks—they’re part of a larger, coordinated movement.
Read our deep dive on state anti-trans laws here:
And while state governments roll back civil rights, Trump’s administration is taking it even further—erasing LGBTQ+ identity from federal records entirely.
DHS Surveillance Now Legal for Gender Identity
DHS has lifted restrictions that prevented intelligence agencies from targeting people based solely on gender identity.
This means the government can track LGBTQ+ activists, journalists, and asylum seekers simply for existing.
The reality: There is no national security threat linked to gender identity. There is no transmilitia. This is about reviving the tactics of the 1950s Lavender Scare.
LGBTQ+ Health Data Erased from Federal Records
CDC pages on LGBTQ+ youth suicide risks and HIV disparities have disappeared.
HHS has removed transgender healthcare guidance from its website.
The reality: Erasing data won’t erase LGBTQ+ people. It only makes it harder for them to get care.
Part 3: The Culture War Distraction—Why This Is Really Happening
These attacks on basic human rights are unforgivable. These are people, our friends, family, and neighbors.
They are not our enemies.
I hate that I have to write this. There are no lesser people. There are only people different than what someone determined was the norm. Never in the history of ever has erasure of a people actually led to them disappearing. That, my friends, would be a genocide. But it would do nothing to stop others being born.
This is about distraction, fueled by hate, ignorance, and fear.
Trump and far-right lawmakers don’t want working people organizing for better wages, healthcare, or housing. So instead, they manufacture culture war distractions to keep us fighting each other instead of them.
Banning Black history books.
Dismantling DEI in workplaces.
Attacking LGBTQ+ people state by state.
But this isn’t just about trans people. It never is.
Here’s what they won’t tell you: the majority of Americans don’t support these attacks.
📊 76% of Americans support non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.
📊 64% support protections specifically for transgender people.
📊 Even gender-affirming care bans for minors—one of the GOP’s biggest talking points—are opposed by over 60% of Americans.
These policies aren’t about what the people want—they’re about controlling the narrative.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently issued a stark warning about what happens when societies start scapegoating marginalized groups. In a speech condemning Trump and the rise of far-right authoritarianism, he said:
“The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame.”
And he asked the question that should haunt all of us right now:
“What comes next?”
The reality: If we allow them to erase trans people from the military, federal protections, and healthcare records today, who will they attempt to erase tomorrow?
If we allow them to remove talented, qualified officers from the military and erase the historic contributions of others like them, who is next?
See our reporting on DEI-related military firings here:
Part 4: The Constitutional Fight—Is This Even Legal?
Fifth Amendment Violation: The government cannot arbitrarily strip rights from a marginalized group.
14th Amendment Violation: These laws explicitly target trans people, making them unconstitutional.
New Lawsuits: Civil rights groups and state attorneys general are already suing.
Trump knows this won’t hold up in court. But that’s not the point. The goal is headlines, division, and fear.
What Now? Who’s Fighting Back & How You Can Help
🔵 Lawsuits are already in motion filed by the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and Human Rights Campaign.
🔵 Veterans’ groups are speaking out including the Modern Military Association of America.
🔵 Democrats in Congress are pushing to block enforcement.
How You Can Help
Donate to legal defense funds.
Call your representatives.
Don’t be distracted or divided.
Call out anti-DEI, transphobic, and misogynist language.
Take the fight to those that try to divide us.
Share this story.
Conclusion: What Comes Next?
We’ve seen this before.
We know where it leads.
Trans people aren’t the first group to be targeted like this. They won’t be the last.
If they can erase trans troops from military service, purge LGBTQ+ history from websites, and erase gender identity from federal records today…
What comes next?
This isn’t just about trans rights. It’s about civil rights. Human rights.
And if we don’t fight back now, we might not have the chance to fight back later.
Bibliography:
“Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly” – RAND Corporation
“Pentagon Orders New Purge of Social Media Sites to Dump Diversity, Inclusion Mentions by March 5” – Politico
“Transgender Troops Are Now Being Identified for Removal Under Pentagon Orders” – AP News
“Tuskegee Airmen, WASP History Will Stay in Air Force Boot Camp Curriculum Following Outcry” – Military.com
“Trump’s DHS Loosens Sexual Orientation-Based Surveillance Policy” – Bloomberg Government
“Federal Agencies Purge Transgender References from Their Websites” – Wall Street Journal
“CDC Removes LGBTQ, Race Data Following Trump’s Anti-DEI Order” – Beaumont Enterprise
“HHS New Definition of Sex Strips Rights from Trans & Intersex People” – VeryWell Health
“New Survey Shows Broad Support for LGBTQ+ Rights Nationally Despite Overall Declines” – PRRI
“Americans’ Complex Views on Gender Identity and Transgender Issues” – Pew Research Center
“Slim Majority of Adults Say Changing Gender is Morally Wrong, But Most Oppose Bans on Care” – Gallup
“Americans Have Grown More Supportive of Restrictions for Trans People in Recent Years” – Pew Research
“Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal File Lawsuit to Block Trump Administration’s Transgender Military Service Ban” – HRC
“Judge Blocks Ban on Transgender Military Service Citing Constitutional Violations” – Constitution Center
“Pritzker Positions Himself at Forefront of Trump Opposition by Invoking Nazi Rise to Power” – Capitol News Illinois
Watch His Speech: “Who Do They Come for Next?” – YouTube“List of Female American Civil War Soldiers” – Wikipedia
“Sarah Rosetta Wakeman: A Woman in the Ranks” – NPS.gov
“The Lavender Scare: America’s Forgotten Anti-LGBTQ+ Purge” – Smithsonian Magazine