Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, has responded in humorous fashion to a viral post on X pointing out that the website of the State Department was suggesting “trains” when the term “trans” was looked up. He said in an online response: “That train has left” with a train emoji attached to it.
These were just a few of the wildly different reactions, ranging from lighthearted and mocking to pointed commentary about priorities in government. Some enjoyed the humor: “Finally, it’s the infrastructure the government wants to address over identity politics–progress!”. Teasingly tongue-in-cheek, “Or did you mean transformers?” asked another.
But the context of this conversation is multi-layered. These responses come as part of a broader effort by the Office of Personnel Management under the Trump Administration to scrub references to gender from government websites. The move aligns with Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.
The order was signed on January 27 and was one of four executive actions undertaken by Trump on the flight on Air Force One. In a speech to House Republicans, Trump vowed to rid the military of what he called “transgender ideology,” saying, “To ensure we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military. It’s going to be gone.”
The ripple effects have been profound: many government websites have changed or scrubbed content about LGBTQ+ issues. The State Department deleted the “X” gender marker option from passport applications and instructed employees to avoid using gender pronouns in their email signatures. The Bureau of Prisons changed its “Inmate Gender” webpage to “Inmate Sex.” The National Park Service removed content about LGBTQ+ history from its website.
These changes mark a significant shift in how the federal government addresses LGBTQ+ issues, as many agencies attempt to eliminate references to gender identity and expression.
