I was speaking to a family member just a month ahead of the 2024 election, and the topic of the Republican Party, specifically Trump himself, enacting harm against the LGBTQ community arose. I was met with the snarky retort of “what did Trump do to harm the queer community in his first term?” My response, although it could have easily been pages of text, was quick and to the point. I cited that he enacted more legislation and appointments that targeted the LGBTQ community than any other President in modern history. My presentation of facts was quickly dismissed.

But that discussion last fall brought a concern to the forefront of the multitude of concerns I had of another Trump Presidency. How quickly would Trump come after the LGBTQ community?

Unfortunately, it took us almost no time to find that out.

The answer was immediate. And worse, the damage was even greater than his first term. The LGBTQ community, including my daughter, were in the crosshairs of those in power. And we were quickly made aware, the firing squad wasn’t going to stop until nobody in that community remained standing.

We’re barely a month into Trump’s second term, and his orders have been plentiful already.

On Inauguration Day, one of the first executive orders Trump issued declared that the federal government would only recognize two sexes: male and female. It was a statement order, serving mainly to make clear the government’s archaic stance, without much tangible effect.

He moved on quickly though, issuing another series of orders attacking an already marginalized group who had fought so hard for any rights in the first place. Even his quest to remove any and all DEI initiatives, not just in government but in the private sector as well, also heavily impacted the LGBTQ community.

But, it was one letter in the spectrum that Trump seems to have really gone after to start 2025; the T. Transgender individuals were hit with a series of early executive orders.

Trump has acted quickly to send a message to transgender Americans, and that message is one of planned eradication.

He started with an executive order to ban federal funding for gender-affirming care to minors (anyone under the age of 19). The order included orders for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to publish a review within 90 days of existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children with gender dysphoria.

Trump then issued an executive order directing the Department of Defense to formulate a new policy targeting transgender service members. The order even stated that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”

And this was before we even wrapped up January. In February he removed Title IX protection for transgender athletes through an executive order that bars trans women and girls from participating in women’s sports at both K-12 schools and colleges.

He then expanded this attack by announcing that transgender athletes would be barred from obtaining visas for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, eventually going further to ban them from obtaining visas for any sport or event, and permanently barring them from entering the country.

Many are now questioning what’s next? He’s been relentless in his first month, what do the next 47 hold?

Well, much of what is next is already telegraphed in Project 2025.

Although Trump frequently distanced himself from Project 2025 on the campaign trail, it has clearly been his playbook since being sworn in. In fact, Trump’s early orders follow Project 2025 so closely, it’s hard to separate Project 2025 from any separate initiative Trump claims as his own.

Let’s not be shocked he lied about Project 2025. Lying is something he’s done well. It wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last. But the point is, if he’s already deploying one initiative after another from the conservative manifesto, meaning we should brace for what is next.

Project 2025 calls on the Department of Justice (that Trump now rules with an iron fist) to defend the First Amendment right of those who would discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. Something that has also already been flirted with by some early executive orders.

Project 2025 also recommends the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reverse the focus on “‘LGBTQ+ equity,’ subsidizing single-motherhood, disincentivizing work, and penalizing marriage,’ replacing such policies with those encouraging marriage, work, motherhood, fatherhood, and nuclear families.”

The Project 2025 playbook laments the fact that family policies and programs under President Biden’s HHS are “fraught with agenda items focusing on ‘LGBTQ+ equity,’” making it clear that they intend to roll those agenda items back.

Project 2025 demands the abolishment of the Gender Policy Council, which it views as promoting abortion and the ‘new woke gender ideology.’ It also proposes “new structures and positions” in place of the Gender Policy Council, a new structure that would promote “life and strengthen the traditional family.”

If the attack on Title IX isn’t enough, Project 2025 also calls on the current administration to limit the application of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that Title VII’s sex discrimination protections applied to LGBTQ+ people.

And if USAID still was able to provide aid, Project 2025 declared that Trump issue orders that would prevent any of that aid from being used for transgender people.

And all of that is just the beginning of what the Trump administration intends to do at the expense of our LGBTQ neighbors and loved ones. It’s Project 2025, not Project 2025 through 2028. So although we can telegraph what’s ahead by what’s documented, there’s likely so much more we don’t know yet. 

I can say, with near certainty, that the administration will not stop at the letter T. The far-right will not be satisfied until the rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are hiding their truth and suffering the consequences of a small vocal group that is afraid of change. Change that does not impact them at all.

And if you seem to be heartless enough to say, “who cares?” Then I ask who is next? Because it won’t stop there.

Let’s not overlook that Trump’s focus on eradicating entire groups of individuals comes at the expense of the main reasons people claim they voted for him. All of this is being done to the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and other minorities while we sit here with Trump gutting our economy and driving up the prices of the goods he campaigned on lowering the prices of.

The eradication of these communities is actually driving the economy into the gutter by pulling workers away from jobs, “DEI” products off shelves, and causing people to be afraid to even leave their house.

And although the economy is why so many claimed to vote for Trump, let’s be clear and remember that he did promise this too. This threat was sewn deeply into his campaign. So those that supported him who are now confused and dumbfounded by his actions have no ground.

But it’s not just about laws. Project 2025, and therefore the administration filled with its co-authors enacting the plan, told us why they want these changes.

Project 2025 states that society today includes “toxic normalization of transgenderism.” Going beyond framing laws and orders, and directly attacking a group of human beings in a governance guide.

But normalization of “transgenderism” isn’t toxic, it’s simply an extension of basic human rights to fellow Americans. It’s barely an effort to even just let someone else be. Being compassionate and sympathetic to those around you does not make you a good person. Being compassionate and sympathetic to those you do not see or know is what defines you.

And bluntly, 2025 is defining a number of people in ways they should be ashamed of. Most notably, Trump and those promoting MAGA hate.

There’s an old saying, “history is written by the winners.” The saying implies that the perspective and interpretation of historical events have traditionally been controlled by those who were victorious. This further implies that the narratives are biased in favor of the winning side and may not fully represent what happened.

Although humanity has grown enough to reflect on many historical events, most history is influenced by those who gained power and wrote the books. And there’s no better time than now to see that this controlled interpretation of reality is being distorted by those who have the power to do so.

I’m talking about January 6, 2021. And I’m talking about Donald Trump.

Although there is plenty to discuss about Donald Trump’s historic election win in November and his destructive dismantling of democracy in the first few weeks of his presidency, it’s important to look at something specific and dangerous that is unfolding right before our eyes.

By the time Trump and the hard-lined conservatives get done with their current political terms, their goal is to make the insurrection attempt, incited by Donald Trump, seem like nothing more than a peaceful protest. And it will be achieved through more than just pardoning those terrorists.

The rewrite of history started before Trump took office. On the fourth anniversary of the horrendous event, elected officials started changing their messaging. Some said nothing. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not make an appearance or issue a statement about the events. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who had delivered one of the sharpest criticisms of Trump in the days after the attack, was silent and out of town. Many other elected Republicans also decided, now that Trump had won, it was no longer a day that needed commenting on.

But some went for it. Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to the insurrectionists as “political prisoners.”

Rep. Mike Collins inserted his foot into his mouth with force, tweeting: “On #ThisDayInHistory in 2021, thousands of peaceful grandmothers gathered in Washington, D.C., to take a self-guided, albeit unauthorized, tour of the U.S. Capitol building. Earlier that day, President Trump held a rally, where supporters walked to the Capitol to peacefully protest the certification of the 2020 election. During this time, some individuals entered the Capitol, took photos, and explored the building before leaving.”

First impression might show this is someone mocking Republicans changing the narrative, but it was anything but. Collins was serious, and more importantly, was posting with intent—to start a trend that, after Trump would complete his steps in the process of rewriting history, would come off like an accurate memory of what happened on that horrific day.

After the messages online were planted, Trump didn’t take long to put a dagger in the heart of the Capitol Police by pardoning and commuting more than 1,500 criminals, including those that violently attacked police that day.

Even though Trump had wavered on what this pardon would look like, and his lackey JD Vance promised every case would be looked at individually and the violent criminals would not be pardoned or commuted, all of them were pardoned or commuted on day one.

In the defense of some politicians, a handful of Republicans on Capitol Hill made quick statements condemning Trump, but many reminded Americans it wasn’t their decision. And most importantly, in the words of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, shared “it’s time to move forward.”

And move forward Johnson did, announcing on January 22nd that he would move forward by creating a new subcommittee on January 6th led by Republicans loyal to MAGA to look back at the events that occurred and break apart the work the original bipartisan committee had completed.

But, to successfully rewrite history, it would take more than pardoning insurrectionists, tweeting some lies, and pushing a new narrative from an obviously loyal committee. It would require silencing the opposition.

On January 31st, the Trump administration fired prosecutors involved in the January 6th cases. By February 4th, the administration had gained a detailed list of the more than 5,000 FBI employees that worked on the cases with a clear intent to remove them from the agency.

The far right had fed their baby parrots and had found a way to remove any lasting legacy that would formally and lawfully say different.

So, with all the horrific actions Trump and his team have committed so far, why am I opening Political Geekery by reflecting on this specific attempt to change a story we know the truth of?

Yes, today many of us remember what truly happened on January 6, 2021. Thousands of Trump supporters heard the then lame-duck President commanding them to “fight like hell,” and marched on the United States Capitol, violently attacking police officers as they hunted for Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi, and any other enemy they could get their hands on.

But even with that memory being fresh, many have already started to ignore it. Or worse, pretend it wasn’t as bad as it was. They have followed the narrative of “let’s move forward,” starting to ignorantly turn their backs to the truth.

Why would they have to acknowledge the truth when nobody is in prison being held accountable and those who prosecuted and proved these criminals committed violent acts are fired by Trump’s team under the false pretense of incompetence? Why acknowledge you’re supporting a regime that attacked the very democracy it swears to protect when a new committee finds that the first and bipartisan committee was politically motivated to attack Trump and his so-called patriots? And when we see five to ten more years of prominent Republican officials tweeting and posting on the anniversary about these protesters having been peaceful, why even bother to defend it anymore when the message will have shifted in their favor?

But it’s not just the Trump supporters of today who will benefit from this rewrite of history. The audience that didn’t witness these horrific events and weren’t sound enough to see America allow an insurrectionist to retake the keys to this country will all see a strongly rewritten and distorted view of history as they come of age and learn about America. And we, as a country, will have learned nothing, leading to a strong possibility of these horrific events occurring the next time a wealthy and selfish man finds himself more important than the country.

So as Republicans ask you on January 6, 2026 to pray for those political prisoners that were wrongfully prosecuted for just peacefully protesting on January 6, 2021, we will remember that they continue to put Trump over the country. But when they do it on January 6, 2031, will enough people still remember? And what about in 2041?

And if you don’t believe that this moment in history can be that strongly distorted, ask yourself why Texans so fondly remember the Alamo?