U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked controversy after resharing an article on his social media platform, Truth Social, featuring an image of the ‘Pink Triangle’—a symbol historically used by the Nazis to identify and persecute queer men.
Trump’s second term has been marked by a series of anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders, including the reinstatement of a military ban on trans individuals, restrictions on healthcare for trans youth, and the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies from government and military sectors.
On 10 March, Trump reposted an article from The Washington Times, written by former U.S. Army intelligence captain Jeremy Hunt, titled “Army recruitment ads look quite different under Trump”. The featured image in the article included a downward-pointing pink triangle with a prohibition symbol over it, credited to illustrator Linas Garsys.
The article praised Trump and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth for shifting the U.S. military’s focus towards aggression and combat readiness, stripping away diversity initiatives such as those seen in a Biden-era ad featuring an Army officer attending a Pride parade.
The Significance of the Pink Triangle
The Pink Triangle originates from Nazi Germany, where it was used to label and oppress gay men in concentration camps. Those marked with the symbol faced extreme persecution, including medical experiments, forced castration, and execution.
In later years, the LGBTQ+ community reclaimed the symbol, most notably in the Silence = Death Project, which raised awareness about the AIDS crisis during the Reagan administration.
While it remains unclear whether Trump understood the historical significance of the image, its use has further fuelled concerns within the LGBTQ+ community about growing hostility under his administration.
Trump’s Stance on LGBTQ+ Military Personnel
Trump’s administration has already taken steps to exclude LGBTQ+ individuals from military service. In January, he signed an executive order declaring trans people “unfit” for duty and stating that the armed forces had been “afflicted with radical gender ideology.”
Human rights organisations have responded with alarm, with the U.S. recently being placed on a human rights watchlist due to what has been described as an “unparalleled attack on the rule of law.”
