Introduction to Recent Changes on Government Websites

Newly restored web pages on the websites of government agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), now feature a disclaimer that rejects "gender ideology." This development was first noted by 404 Media. The addition of this disclaimer allows these agencies to comply with a recent court order requiring them to restore previously deleted web pages. Simultaneously, it enables them to continue aligning with the Trump administration’s anti-trans executive order, which initially led to the removal of these pages.

Details of the Disclaimer

The disclaimer, which directly lifts language from President Trump’s executive order, can be found on the FDA’s guidance document concerning the "Study of Sex Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Medical Products" and on a page linking to results from SAMHSA’s report on "Behavioral Health of Adolescents across Sexual Identities." However, the disclaimer’s presence is not consistent across all relevant pages. For instance, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page focused on "Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines" does not include this disclaimer.

Contents of the Disclaimer

The disclaimer states:

Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website as of 11:59 PM on February 11, 2025. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children, by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women, by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it.

Background on the Webpage Takedowns

The initial directive for government agencies to Cease all programs using taxpayer money to promote or reflect gender ideology was issued by the Office of Personal Management (OPM) in January. This directive led to the removal of several web pages, prompting a lawsuit by Doctors of America, represented by Public Citizen, against OPM and other involved agencies due to safety concerns. The lawsuit resulted in a court order requiring the agencies to restore the deleted web pages to their original form this month, as reported by The Washington Post.