TL;DR
- Anti-LGBTQ censorship tactics are rising in the U.S.
- Strategies mirror those of authoritarian regimes.
- Legislation aims to restrict LGBTQ representation in schools.
- Public institutions face increasing pressure to erase queer identities.
- The fight for LGBTQ rights is far from over.
As Congress advances anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and states expand restrictions on queer and trans visibility, PEN America experts warn the tactics increasingly resemble those used by modern authoritarian governments. A display of LGBTQ+ books at a California bookstore is becoming a rare sight as the campaign to seclude and suppress queer and trans lives from public visibility spreads across the nation.
In public schools, libraries, universities, art galleries, and government institutions, we are witnessing a disturbing trend: the swift disappearance of LGBTQ+ art, literature, and symbols. This isn’t just a coincidence; it’s a calculated move straight out of the authoritarian playbook. Historically, regimes like Nazi Germany purged LGBTQ+ culture, labeling it as “un-German.” Fast forward to today, and we see similar rhetoric in Putin’s Russia and Orban’s Hungary, where officials claim children need “protection” from LGBTQ+ “propaganda.”
In the U.S., the current administration is applying this playbook with alarming efficiency. Executive orders have declared “gender ideology” as “anti-American,” and a slew of bills are gaining traction in Congress that aim to weaponize funding against schools that dare teach about LGBTQ+ identities. These bills, including H.R. 2616, H.R. 8705, and H.R. 7661, are reminiscent of Florida’s notorious “Don’t Say Gay” law, which echoes Russia’s 2013 legislation prohibiting the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors.
It’s clear: the intention behind these vague terms like “gender ideology” and “divisive equity ideology” is to erase trans and queer representation from our educational institutions. The fact that H.R. 2616 passed the House with bipartisan support is a chilling reminder of how deeply entrenched anti-LGBTQ sentiment has become.
Authoritarians have long targeted public schools as a battleground for cultural change, wielding state power to mold young minds. The Supreme Court may have stated that “no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion,” but that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from attempting to do just that by excluding LGBTQ+ identities from our institutions.
The campaign to purge LGBTQ+ expression is evolving. From banning books to prohibiting music, closing DEI offices, and defunding research on LGBTQ+ public health, the assault on queer visibility is relentless. Texas Tech University recently moved to prohibit any teaching or student research projects that focus on gender or sexuality, while funding for public libraries is threatened over books with trans or queer representation.
Even the FCC is getting in on the action, considering viewer warnings for “transgender or nonbinary programming.” The censorship tactics are moving seamlessly from classrooms to living rooms, and the ideologues behind this will not stop until their project of suppression is complete.
While we haven’t yet seen the extreme measures of other authoritarian regimes—such as outright bans on pride celebrations or government fines for retailers selling LGBTQ+ literature—the signs are concerning. Hungary, for instance, passed a law allowing citizens to report same-sex families and trans-affirming parents, and in Russia, individuals can face arrest for simply displaying a rainbow flag.
In Germany, the historical book burnings led to far worse atrocities. Today, the U.S. is on a slippery slope, with progress made for LGBTQ+ rights since the “Lavender Scare” of the 1950s and the height of the AIDS epidemic being reversed. State-level prohibitions on gender-affirming care and laws revoking state IDs for trans individuals are just the tip of the iceberg, with lawmakers actively campaigning to dismantle marriage equality.
The message from these actions is painfully clear: the LGBTQ+ community is not meant to live authentically in public life. With educational and cultural institutions accelerating our erasure, we must recognize that without serious intervention, this fight is far from over. The time to stand up and resist is now, or we risk losing everything we’ve fought for.
Jonathan Friedman oversees PEN America’s U.S. efforts to protect free expression, including the freedom to write, read, and learn. Madison Markham coordinates PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, which combats book bans and censorship in schools and libraries. The fight for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility is a collective struggle, and we must remain vigilant in the face of rising censorship.