Trump Wiped Out Vital LGBTQ+ Health Info—Now A Judge Is Ordering Its Revival

A federal judge has ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to restore crucial online resources on LGBTQ+ healthcare, including transgender medical guidance and sexually transmitted infection (STI) treatment recommendations. The decision comes in response to a lawsuit challenging the sudden removal of thousands of pages from government websites following President Trump’s executive orders against so-called “gender ideology.”

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ruled that the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must reinstate the deleted content, emphasizing that its absence has caused “irreparable harm” to healthcare providers and patients nationwide. His ruling, issued Tuesday, mandates that the government restore the specific web pages identified in the lawsuit by 11:59 p.m. that evening and collaborate with medical professionals to ensure that any other essential materials are returned.

Related: Donald Trump Can’t Erase Our Gender: Nonbinary Thoughts In MAGA America

The Scope of the Removed Content

The lawsuit, filed by the advocacy group Doctors for America and represented by consumer rights organization Public Citizen, argued that the government unlawfully erased over 80,000 pages of public health information. The missing pages included:

• Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which tracks health trends among high school students.
• Guidance on HIV prevention and testing.
• Guidance on reproductive healthcare.
• Information on transgender healthcare, including gender-affirming care and mental health resources.
• STI treatment recommendations vital for clinicians responding to outbreaks.
• Research advocating for greater inclusion of women and underrepresented groups in clinical trials.

Legal and Medical Implications

Judge Bates, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, noted the practical consequences of the removals, writing that they disrupted “real-time clinical decision-making in hospitals, clinics, and emergency departments across the country.”

One doctor involved in the case reported being unable to access CDC resources to address a chlamydia outbreak in a Chicago high school. The loss of these materials, Bates wrote, disproportionately harms “everyday Americans, and most acutely, underprivileged Americans seeking healthcare.”

The Trump administration justified the deletions as part of a broader crackdown on what it calls “gender ideology.” On January 29, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies to remove any public-facing materials that “inculcate or promote” gender identity discussions by January 31. The abrupt removals, however, violated federal requirements mandating public notice and justification for significant changes to government resources, according to the lawsuit.

Related: Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Trans Athletes From Women’s Sports

What Happens Next?

Judge Bates’ order serves as a temporary measure while the case proceeds in court. The judge will hold another hearing soon about whether to grant a longer pause, according to The Hill.

Zachary Shelley, an attorney for Public Citizen, welcomed the ruling but acknowledged the damage already done. “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube,” he said. “But at least we can stop more harm from occurring.”

For now, medical professionals, public health researchers, and LGBTQ+ advocates are closely watching the administration’s next moves, as the fate of vital healthcare information remains uncertain.