As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, Project 2025, a significant political initiative, is sparking deep concerns, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.
Driven by the far-right Heritage Foundation and supported by over 100 conservative groups, this $22 million campaign seeks to reshape U.S. governance by laying out a comprehensive plan for the next conservative president. Central to the project’s goals is consolidating conservative power in ways that many fear could reverse decades of progress on civil rights, including those for LGBTQ+ individuals.
What Is Project 2025?
Project 2025 is described as a “government-in-waiting” document prepared to be enacted within the first 180 days of a conservative president’s term. At its core, the initiative is built around a 1,000-page handbook detailing a sweeping overhaul of the federal government and includes purging employees who don’t align with conservative values and implementing executive orders to dismantle policies safeguarding minority rights quickly. The project also compiles a database of potential political appointees—many of whom are aligned with Christian nationalist and conservative ideologies—and offers a virtual training program to instil the project’s guiding principles.
One of the most concerning aspects of Project 2025 is its focus on eroding protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. It advocates for the removal of LGBTQ-inclusive language, such as “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” and terms like “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” from federal agencies. Should these changes be enacted, the federal recognition and protection of LGBTQ+ identities would be drastically weakened.
In addition, Project 2025 threatens to dismantle key anti-discrimination measures and policies that safeguard equal access to healthcare and other services. Without these protections, institutions and businesses may find it easier to discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals, potentially without facing legal consequences.
The potential consequences of Project 2025 extend far beyond the LGBTQ+ community. The initiative aims to curtail reproductive rights, restrict access to contraception, and weaken democratic institutions. For LGBTQ+ individuals, however, the stakes are incredibly high, as the rollback of federal protections could lead to a rise in harmful rhetoric and discriminatory practices. The project’s alignment with Christian nationalist ideals risks increasing the marginalisation of LGBTQ+ individuals in both public and private life.
In anticipation of Project 2025’s possible implementation following the 2024 election, LGBTQ+ advocates are already mobilising to counter its impact. Civil rights organisations are actively raising awareness about the initiative and the dangers it poses to vulnerable communities. While the plan is marketed as a way to “save” the republic, its critics argue that it seeks to impose a narrow vision of American identity—one that excludes LGBTQ+ individuals and threatens the nation’s values of inclusion, equality, and diversity.
Former President Donald Trump has publicly distanced himself from Project 2025, insisting that he neither endorses the initiative nor played any role in its development. Despite the project’s alignment with many conservative values, Trump has emphasised that he was not involved in its creation and does not fully support its agenda. This stance has raised questions within conservative circles, particularly as Project 2025 has gained traction among right-wing organisations.
Trump’s separation from the project suggests that, while he continues to champion conservative policies, he may be wary of fully embracing certain elements of the far-right movement.
