Project 2025 vs. transgender people

Project 2025 is a policy initiative led by conservative American think tank The Heritage Foundation, in coordination with a coalition of more than 100 conservative organizations. It was released in 2023 and covers proposals across nearly every federal agency. It includes plans to restructure the civil service, consolidate executive power, and reshape policy on immigration, education, environmental regulation, and reproductive rights, among other areas.

Project 2025 calls for rolling back federal recognition and protections for transgender people. Its proposals include:

• eliminating references to “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” from federal rules and regulations
• restricting or banning trans healthcare for young people
• restricting or banning transgender military service
• revising Title IX guidance to define “sex” strictly using the gametic definition of the term
• defunding or restricting federal support for LGBTQ-inclusive health and education programs

Background

Project 2025 was released in 2023 as a roughly 900-page blueprint to guide a future conservative presidential administration. During the 2024 federal election campaign, Donald Trump claimed to be uninvolved with it. At the start of Trump’s second president term, the Trump Administration began implementing many of its recommendations.

Coalition

In February 2024, the Project 2025 website listed over 100 coalition members. Many members are single-issue advocacy groups and are minimally involved in anti-trans activism. Coalition members prominently involved in anti-trans activism include:

• ACLJ Action
• Alliance Defending Freedom
• The American Conservative
• American Cornerstone Institute
• American Family Association
• American Principles Project

• California Family Council
• Center for Family and Human Rights
• The Claremont Institute
• Concerned Women for America

• Discovery Institute

• Eagle Forum
• Ethics and Public Policy Center

• Family Policy Alliance
• Family Research Council

• The Heritage Foundation
• Hillsdale College

• Independent Women’s Forum

• The Leadership Institute

• Media Research Center
• Moms for Liberty

• Texas Public Policy Foundation
• Turning Point USA

• Young America’s Foundation

References

Reed, Erin (February 17, 2026). “You Outlaw It”: Heritage Foundation President Announces Intent To Outlaw All Trans Adult Care. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/you-outlaw-it-heritage-foundation

Cieslik, Emma (January 8, 2026). U.S. in midst of ‘genocidal process against trans people’: study. Washington Blade https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/01/08/us-midst-genocidal-process-trans-people/

Ring, Trudy (December 24, 2025). Far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ Project 2025 will continue into 2026. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/project-2025-continues-into-2026

Monteil, Abby (December 23, 2025). Project 2025 Was Just the Start. Heritage Foundation Has an Anti-LGBTQ+ Scheme for 2026, Too. them https://www.them.us/story/heritage-foundation-project-2025-2026-plan-trump-administration

Hornstein, Ellen R. (October 15, 2025). Trump’s Orders Threaten Transgender Americans’ Rights. The Fulcrum https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/trump-transgender-rights-2025

Ogles, Jacob (September 19, 2025). The Heritage Foundation wants transgender people and allies designated as terrorists. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/heritage-foundation-transgender-terrorists

Francois, Lisa (April 3, 2025). The Human Toll of Trump’s Anti-Trans Crusade. ACLU https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/the-human-toll-of-trumps-anti-trans-crusade

Anafi, Ma’ayan (March 31, 2025). Trump’s Anti-Trans Attacks Are Straight out of the Project 2025 Playbook—and Doomed to Fail. National Women’s Law Center https://nwlc.org/trumps-anti-trans-attacks-are-straight-out-of-the-project-2025-playbook-and-doomed-to-fail/

Henry, Vesper (February 11, 2025). Trump’s anti-trans executive orders came straight out of Project 2025. Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/project-2025/trumps-anti-trans-executive-orders-came-straight-out-project-2025

Staff report (2025). Project 2025 and the Unraveling of America. Global Project Against Hate and Extremism https://globalextremism.org/reports/project-2025-and-the-unraveling-of-america/

Saric, Ivana (November 7, 2024). What Project 2025 could mean for LGBTQ+ Americans. Axios https://www.axios.com/2024/11/07/project-2025-lgbtq-rights

Jaime, Angie (October 18, 2024). Here’s how Project 2025 Could Decimate LGBTQ+ Rights. Teen Vogue https://www.teenvogue.com/story/heres-how-project-2025-could-decimate-lgbtq-rights

Rummler, Orion (August 26, 2024). How anti-trans policies in Project 2025 could impact all families. The 19th https://19thnews.org/2024/08/project-2025-anti-trans-policies-impact-families/

Musgrave, Shawn (July 9 2024). “Gay Furry Hackers” Claim Credit for Hacking Heritage Foundation Files Over Project 2025: The hacker collective SiegedSec says it infiltrated the conservative think tank to oppose its campaign against trans rights. The Intercept https://theintercept.com/2024/07/09/gay-furry-hackers-claim-credit-for-hacking-heritage-foundation-over-project-2025/

Staff report (June 17, 2024). The People’s Guide to Project 2025. Democracy Forward https://democracyforward.org/work/research/the-peoples-guide-to-project-2025/

Resources

Project 2025 Tracker (project2025.observer)

Project 2025 Tracker (watch2025.org)

American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org)

• Project 2025, Explained
• aclu.org/project-2025-explained

GLAAD (glaad.org)

• Project 2025 Exposed
• glaad.org/project-2025

Center for Progressive Reform (progressivereform.org)

• Project 2025 Executive Action Tracker
• progressivereform.org/tracking-trump-2/project-2025-executive-action-tracker

NAACP Legal Defense Fund (naacpldf.org)

• Putting a Stop to Project 2025
• naacpldf.org/tracking-project-2025

Education Counsel (educationcounsel.com)

• Project 2025 Tracker
• docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U3x5YOND9JOO3TNFhCZfNXXzgZrRRTfI8bpCnFlwwfo/edit