Within hours of returning to power Monday, United States President Donald Trump issued a stunningly broad executive order that seeks to dismantle crucial protections for transgender people and denies the validity of gender identity itself.
The new order withdraws a range of executive orders issued by former President Joe Biden, including those allowing transgender people to serve in the military, advancing the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, and interpreting federal sex discrimination protections in domains like education, housing, and immigration to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Executive Order issued by the White House on January 29, 2025, addresses the issue of “radical ideologies” in K-12 schools, with a focus on ending “indoctrination”, “protecting parental rights”, and “promoting patriotic education”. The order emphasises that schools should provide children with a rigorous education while fostering a sense of patriotism and admiration for the United States, rather than pushing “anti-American ideologies”. It expresses concerns about ideologies that force children into specific identities based on race or gender and undermine critical thinking, family unity, and national unity. The order mandates the creation of a strategy to eliminate federal funding for schools promoting harmful ideologies and ensures the protection of parental rights. It also reestablishes the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission to promote patriotic education, culminating in a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
This text is an executive order issued by the White House on January 21, 2025, addressing the end of “illegal discrimination” and the restoration of merit-based opportunity in several key sectors of American society. In general, the order seeks to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies, which, according to Donald Trump, violate civil rights laws in the U.S. and promote illegal preferences based on race and sex.
The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, shared that its classic crisis services (lifeline, chat, text) began to experience significant increases in volume towards the end of election night.
Update from The Trevor Project: Thank you for looking into The Trevor Project’s increased volume of crisis contacts, which was data our team pulled November 6 early morning. As of November 7 evening, 2024, the organization’s updated volume data is as follows:
From passports to health care, the White House is trying to make it harder for transgender Americans to live openly and safely. Here’s a look at the executive orders and their impact.
LGBTQ+ youth are afraid, confused, and anxious about the outcome of the election, The Trevor Project said. Here are some resources.
Among his first actions as president, Trump issued a series of executive orders and agency directives banning gender-affirming care for young people, barring transgender people from serving in the military, and prohibiting trans women from playing in women’s sports leagues. The obsessive fixation on purging trans identity from society has also become a guiding force for Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) butchering of federal agencies.
The past two decades have largely been characterized by mainstream media as emancipatory for LGBTQ communities; indeed, queer and trans people have achieved many legal wins. But despite what has appeared to be a slow march to acceptance and inclusion, the post-marriage equality era has ushered in a virulent form of backlash wherein trans communities are demonized and criminalized through an abundance of anti-trans laws and policies, many of which target trans youth and access to healthcare, schools, and sports.
Right after Donald Trump won the election, Max Kuzma set to work. As a trans man living just outside of Cleveland, Ohio, he knew he needed to get his documentation in order. He considers himself lucky that he already legally changed his name, but rushed to make sure his passport and other documents reflected that. Like so many other trans Americans, Kuzma worried Trump would make good on his promise to roll back LGBTQ+ rights and threaten trans healthcare and the overall safety of the queer community.
Starting on the first day of his second term, President Trump began to issue numerous executive actions, several of which directly address or affect health programs, efforts, or policies to meet the health needs of LGBTQ+ people. This guide provides an overview of these actions, in the order in which they were issued. The “date issued” is date the action was first taken; subsequent actions, such as litigation efforts, are listed under “What Happens/Implications.”
During his first two weeks in office, President Donald Trump has signed nearly 40 executive orders. They cover a dizzying array of policy areas –from immigration to public school — and many of them have already been challenged in court. The orders have impacted all of our lives, and, constitutional or not, the damage that some of these orders threaten to do is real.
But can President Trump actually carry out the policy plans outlined in his executive orders? Below, the ACLU explains the history, function, and limits of a presidential executive order.
The ACLU is tracking 456anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. Choose a state on the map to show the different bills targeting LGBTQ rights and take action. While not all of these bills will become law, they all cause harm for LGBTQ people.
LGBTQ+ young people in states with a lower LGBTQ+ policy index were more likely to cross into another state to access health care or consider moving out of the state altogether compared to those in states with a higher LGBTQ+ policy index.
Starting on the first day of his second term, President Trump began to issue numerous executive actions, several of which directly address or affect health programs, efforts, or policies to meet the health needs of LGBTQ+ people. This guide provides an overview of these actions, in the order in which they were issued. The “date issued” is date the action was first taken; subsequent actions, such as litigation efforts, are listed under “What Happens/Implications.” It is not inclusive of administrative actions that impact LGBTQ+ people that are not directly related to health and health care access, such as efforts related to participation in sport even though those actions might have an impact on well-being. In addition, within the actions examined, only provisions directly related to health and health access are described in table.
Five dominant themes emerged across the four years: (1) an actively anti-LGBTQ administration, (2) regression of LGBTQ + rights and protections, (3) increased societal anti-LGBTQ + hate/bigotry, (4) negative LGBTQ + psychological impact due to increased rhetoric/social discrimination, and (5) fear of lack of future LGBTQ + equality. Year-to-year trends emerged such that in 2017 anti-LGBTQ + concerns were heightened, and in 2018 to 2020, participants described ways they experienced the effects of increased anti-LGBTQ + threats to their rights, negative mental health outcomes, and discrimination. In 2020, there also was consistent dread expressed at the prospect of Trump being re-elected.
Health misinformation has become a central feature of public discourse on transgender rights, where it has been mobilized to advance state and federal policies that limit (or in extreme cases, prohibit) the provision of trans-related health care. These policies not only deny trans people (and in particular, trans youth) access to necessary care, but also diminish trans people’s social outcomes and restrict their human rights
Many would be quick to point out that LGBTQ + rights have come a long way in recent years. Indeed, the past two decades have largely been characterized by mainstream media as emancipatory for LGBTQ + communities, with gains like marriage equality, hate-crime legislations and anti-discrimination protections. Despite what appears to be a slow march towards inclusion, the post-marriage equality era has ushered in a virulent backlash. This evolving landscape is reflected in the ubiquitous attempts to demonize and criminalize trans communities, and against this backdrop of increasing violence, Project 2025 is, one can summarize, the first step in a larger anti-LGBTQ + and specifically anti-trans plan.
This study examined the experiences of immigrant parents seeking asylum in the United States after recently fleeing the Northern Triangle region of Central America, attending both to the traumatic events and the strengths that mitigate this experience. The study employs a convergent parallel mixed-methods design to describe the experiences of 51 parents after being processed by U.S. immigration officials for seeking asylum. Quantitative analyses measured trauma exposure and psychological distress and posttraumatic stress symptoms, as well as religiosity, dispositional optimism, and perceived quality of life.
In the US, unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents (hereinafter referred to as children) are predominantly from Central America’s Northern Triangle. While unaccompanied migrant children are at high risk for psychiatric sequelae due to complex traumatic exposures, longitudinal investigations of psychiatric distress after resettlement are lacking.
The Human Rights Campaign is both saddened and infuriated by the deaths of at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people whose lives have been tragically and inhumanely taken through violent means, including through gun and interpersonal violence, in 2023. Since 2013, the Human Rights Campaign has tracked incidents of fatal transgender violence— the same year the Federal Bureau of Investigation began reporting on hate crimes motivated by anti-transgender bias— and providing action items that can help end the violence.
It is increasingly clear that wartime deployment is a family matter. Almost half of today’s active duty forces are parents, and continuing hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan ensure that growing numbers of military families will experience repeated cycles of separation in a context of danger that may span across years of each family’s development. Research conducted since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Iraq point to the strain that wartime deployment places on families, as gauged by a broad range of indicators.
Being in the Armed Forces means that you are exposed to a higher degree of risk and pressure than you might expect in other jobs. This booklet is intended to help you look out for your teammates by giving you guidance on how to discuss things with them and about some of the support that is available.
Sleep problems—in particular chronic insomnia and nightmares—are frequently some of the most troubling aspects of PTSD. While these sleep problems are considered symptoms of PTSD, the evidence suggests that they tend to become independent problems over time that warrant sleep-focused assessment and treatment. There are both pharmacologic and cognitive behavioral treatment options available.
When you serve in the military, you may be exposed to different traumatic events than civilians. The war you served in may also affect your risk because of the types of trauma that were common. War zone deployment, training accidents and military sexual trauma (or, MST) may lead to PTSD. Learn how many Veterans have PTSD.
The purpose of this desk aid is to help you better understand veterans and their families who might interact with your policies or services, be a customer or require support and advice. Understanding more about this community will allow you to design, adapt and evolve your work to make sure it is accessible and effective. The desk aid contains 10 introductory facts and key points about the veteran community. We hope you find it a helpful introduction and a source for finding out further relevant information to support your work.
Depression is a serious illness, but this common mental health problem is also highly treatable. Find out how to access depression health services through VA.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A resource page specifically focused on suicide prevention within the context of mental health care for veterans. The VA offers a wide range of services and support for veterans, including mental health care, and suicide prevention is a critical aspect of that care due to the heightened risk of suicide among veterans. This page likely provides information about suicide prevention resources, support services, and strategies aimed at helping veterans who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
Sexual, gender and ethnic minorities have faced significant health-related difficulties, especially in terms of mental health. In the past decade, many studies have been published focusing on the mental health scenario for these groups. There is a need to develop and implement various initiatives, including social support groups, to provide discrimination-free assistance.
For adult survivors of trauma, violence, and loss through an innovative, clinically-proven model of comprehensive care, advocacy, and outreach. The goal of the organisation is to eliminate barriers to healing and inspire survivors to embrace hope. Based in San Francisco, USA.
The National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) is a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal education and advocacy organization based at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. NCVLI actively promotes comprehensive and enforceable legal rights for crime victims, and access to knowledgeable attorneys to help protect those rights in every case, through victim centered legal advocacy, education, and resources.
A US-based research and educational center on PTSD and traumatic stress. Their mission is to advance the clinical care and social welfare of America’s Veterans and others who have experienced trauma, or who suffer from PTSD, through research, education, and training in the science, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD and stress-related disorders.
Shock and denial are typical responses. Shock is a sudden and often intense disturbance of your emotional state that may leave you feeling stunned, numb or dazed. Denial involves your not acknowledging that something very stressful has happened, or not experiencing fully the intensity of the event. After shock subsides, reactions vary from one person to another (open the link for more information). There are a number of steps you can take to help restore emotional well-being and a sense of control following a disaster or other traumatic experience (open the link for more information).
Survivors of Torture International in San Diego, California, is a multidisciplinary service organization of providers who include medical and mental health workers, as well as other professionals. SURVIVORS also hosts regular trainings for students and professionals about how to appropriately identify, refer, and serve survivors of torture. Torture treatment services were established in 1997.
This report is the first to comprehensively examine the use of psychological torture by US personnel in the so- called “war on terror.”1 It reviews the techniques used on detainees, what clinical experience and studies reveal about the long-lasting and extremely devastating health consequences of psychological torture, how a regime of psychological torture came about and was perpetuated, and what the current status of psychological torture is in US policy.
USIP provides with lots of information not only on transitional justice, but also on different other related topics.
A detailed Overview of Veterans Affairs research on PTSD, with chapters containing general information about PTSD, as well as about disaster and terrorism, war, and other types of trauma.
Today’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth come out at younger ages, and public support for LGBT issues has dramatically increased, so why do LGBT youth continue to be at high risk for compromised mental health? We provide an overview of the contemporary context for LGBT youth, followed by a review of current science on LGBT youth mental health. Research in the past decade has identified risk and protective factors for mental health, which point to promising directions for prevention, intervention, and treatment. Legal and policy successes have set the stage for advances in programs and practices that may foster LGBT youth mental health. Implications for clinical care are discussed, and important areas for new research and practice are identified.
Previous studies demonstrated the utility of the minority stress model in understanding health disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Since most research has considered large metropolitan areas, predominantly in coastal regions of the United States, this research focuses on a midwestern state, Nebraska. This study sought to assess the relationships between depressive symptoms experienced by participants (N = 770) and minority stress variables, including experiences with violence, perceptions of discrimination, and respondents’ degree of self-acceptance of their LGBT identity. Regression analysis revealed that after controlling for demographic variables, self-acceptance, and perceived discrimination were correlated with depressive symptoms. These findings have implications for policy makers, public health planners, and health care providers. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health 2014.
This study explores the formulation of a new concept: vicarious resilience. It addresses the question of how psychotherapists who work with survivors of political violence or kidnapping are affected by their clients’stories of resilience. It focuses on the psychotherapists’ interpretations of their clients’ stories, and how they make sense of the impact that these stories have had on their lives. In semistructured interviews, 12 psychotherapists who work with victims of political violence and kidnapping were interviewed about their perceptions of their clients’ overcoming of adversity. A phenomenological analysis of the transcripts was used to describe the themes that speak about the effects of witnessing how clients cope constructively with adversity. These themes are discussed to advance the concept of vicarious resilience and how it can contribute to sustaining and empowering trauma therapists.
Betsy Kawamura, founder of Women4NonViolence dialogues with Dr. Henrik Syse of PRIO and co-editor of “Journal of Military Ethics” about Women Peace and Security (WPS) in North Asia (Okinawa, Japan and the Korean Peninsula). Topics include the Battle of Okinawa, North Korean refugee women, the Status of Force Agreement SOFA, the Recreation and Amusement Association
Below are the basic questions asked by Dr. Syse in this dialog
(1) You are truly engaged with the WPS agenda, not least wishing to expand consciousness about that agenda in North-East Asia. Why? Where does your engagement come from?
(2) You are preoccupied with history, and you tell me that some articles from the Journal of Military Ethics, which I co-edit, including one on war crimes at Okinawa during and
after WW II, have been important to you. What’s the importance of history in addressing WPS concerns today?
(3) You want to reach out to military audiences. Do you think there is enough attention to sexualized violence and WPS more broadly among military personnel today? If not, what can be done to rectify that?
(4) Looking at your own path ahead, as an activist and as someone who knows this terrain well, what do you think are the most important next steps? And who do you need to work with in order to realize those steps?
With Dr. Scott Allen, Eunice Cho, and Gerald Staberock
In the sixth installment of PHR’s webinar series, PHR Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Ranit Mishori moderated a discussion on COVID-19 and detention center/prison populations featuring Dr. Scott Allen, Eunice Cho, and Gerald Staberock. They discussed the U.S. and international response to the danger of contagion in these densely populated environments, questions concerning access to care for inmates and staff, and how judgments being made today will shape the landscape of legal precedent going forward.
To watch the webinar please click on the link below:
A new report by the Center for Victims of Torture and Physicians for Human Rights reveals that the experiences of detainees and independent civilian medical experts with medical care at the Guantánamo Bay detention center not only broadly refute the claim that detainees receive care equivalent to that of U.S. service members, but also evidence specific violations of the Nelson Mandela Rules, the universally recognized UN standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners, which the United States has championed. Guantánamo should be closed. Unless and until that happens, the Center for Victims of Torture and Physicians for Human Rights call upon Congress, the executive branch, and the courts to adopt a series of recommendations aimed at meaningfully improving the status quo.
This book is primarily intended for health and legal professionals who work with or are likely to come into contact with torture survivors, but anyone with an interest in the question of torture will find useful insights. These short articles provide an array of illuminating and readable perspectives on different aspects of a complicated subject. Together they comprise an excellent introduction to the many challenges and opportunities associated with the task of establishing medical evidence in cases of alleged torture.
HRA is a human rights organization based in Berkeley, California. We are dedicated to promoting and protecting international human rights in the United States and abroad. HRA addresses the panoply of human rights issues, including minority and bodies on the human rights aspects of such issues as: minority and peoples rights; the rights of the child; juvenile criminal sentencing; trafficking in women and children; migrant worker rights; the right to housing; the right to food; affirmative action; corporate accountability; and human rights and the environment.
Since 1981, our Casa Alianza (Spanish for Covenant House) programs have been providing shelter, protection and rehabilitation for children and teenagers in Latin America who are abused, abandoned, trafficked, addicted or left to the streets. Our team is a group of internationally recognized experts in children’s human rights passing critical legislation to establish and enforce policies that protect kids and punish traffickers.
If you are a man who experienced sexual assault, you are not alone. At least 1 out of every 10 men will experience sexual assault at some point in their life. Learn about sexual trauma in men, common reactions and what you can do to recover.
This report builds on the presentations and discussions of the Americas Regional Experts Meeting on the Law and Practice on Torture, as well as information shared by experts on the basis of their expertise and experience in litigation and advocacy on torture related issues. The participants completed a questionnaire regarding the law and practice of torture in their jurisdiction and made presentations at the meeting covering national practice as well as thematic issues. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange information and experiences on litigating torture cases and advocating legal and institutional reforms.
A non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), committed to improving the effectiveness of international actors who provide humanitarian assistance, engage in peace practice, and are involved in supporting sustainable development.
This report summarizes the challenges in supporting women in the process of transitional justice, also focusing on the important role women play here. There are also suggestions how to implement solutions (24 pages, .pdf, for historical reference).
It is important to provide culturally sensitive trauma-informed treatment to Latino/Hispanic clients. While many of the following recommendations are good practice when working with Latino/Hispanic clients, it is also important to remain flexible. The intervention that works with one family may not be appropriate for another.
A group of professional and advocacy organizations that have joined forces to provide educational resources to individuals diagnosed with PTSD and their loved ones; those at risk for developing PTSD; and medical, healthcare and other frontline professionals.
When working with refugee children and their families, the most effective practitioners provide comprehensive services, are culturally competent, and integrate evidence-based practice with practice-based evidence. Truly rich multicultural practice involves a process of community engagement that allows for dialogue, questioning, and adaptation of practice to fit a group’s beliefs and values while still providing culturally informed, effective care.
According to the (2000) Census, 1 of every 5 children in the United States is a child of immigrants either a child who is an immigrant or has at least one immigrant parent. While most children who experience mental health problems have limited access to help, children who have migrated to this country, especially under difficult circumstances, face particular challenges.
The CPC Learning Network is an active cadre of member organizations who are capable of collaboratively employing assessment methodologies and able to identify, quantify, and understand the causes and consequences of key child care and protection concerns.
The Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparations for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law (Basic Principles) further clarify this right. These Principles indicate the types of reparation that may be needed, depending on the particular circumstances of the case, to afford adequate and effective reparation to victims, explicitly recognising five forms of reparation for such violations: restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition.
Deliberate infliction of pain and suffering or intimidation or coercion on children to obtain a confession or information, for punishment of real or perceived offences on the basis of discrimination about race, ethnic or political affiliation, is practiced in many places around the world. Impact of torture on children may vary depending on the child’s coping strategies, cultural and social circumstances.
Addressing GBV requires coordinated, inter-agency, and multi-sectoral strategies that aim for prevention through policy reform and implementation of protective mechanisms and building the capacity of health, social welfare, legal and security systems to recognize, monitor, and respond to GBV; in addition to ensure rapid and respectful services to survivors (34 pages, .pdf. for historical reference).
This Refugee Reports focuses on refugee health in the United States, beginning with an article about the general healthcare challenges facing refugees and immigrants. John Poon provides a case study of Afghan refugees trying to gain access to necessary health services. José Quiroga discusses the physical and mental health needs of torture victims. Several reports feature the important mental health issues facing newcomers as well as refugee-specific information about vaccinations and civil surgeons.
The public images of war focus almost exclusively on young men armed forces, suicide bombers, young men throwing stones at soldiers. The fact that girls remain invisible casts a long shadow on their involvement in war, particularly as the changing nature of war and conflict means that increasingly, civilians are affected as war is played out closer to people’s homes.
PDHRE is a non-profit, international service organization that works directly and indirectly with its network of affiliates primarily women’s and social justice organizations to develop and advance pedagogies for human rights education relevant to people’s daily lives in the context of their struggles for social and economic justice and democracy.