The Pentagon’s latest effort to erase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives has taken an eyebrow-raising turn, sweeping up historic war heroes, pioneering female soldiers, and even a World War II aircraft—just because it happens to have “Gay” in its name.
A newly revealed database lists over 26,000 images and posts flagged for deletion as part of the military’s frantic effort to comply with President Donald Trump’s order to wipe DEI references from federal institutions. But beyond the expected targets—content celebrating women, Black, and Hispanic military members—the purge appears to be getting, well, sloppy. Some images seem to have been marked simply because the word “gay” appears in a file name. Among them? The Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and even an Army engineer whose only crime was having the last name “Gay.”
History in the Crosshairs
The scale of the purge is staggering. The database, confirmed by U.S. officials, suggests that as many as 100,000 images or posts could ultimately be erased. Among those flagged are references to historic firsts for marginalized communities in the military, including the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military pilots, and Marine Corps pioneers who shattered gender barriers in combat roles.
While many images have already vanished from public websites, some remain in limbo, and their fate remains unclear. The Air Force briefly removed educational videos about the Tuskegee Airmen after Trump’s order—until backlash forced them to reverse course. Other removals, like a Marine Corps photo series celebrating Women’s History Month, have been more decisive.
And yet, despite the Pentagon’s enthusiasm for erasing progress, officials are struggling to actually do the work. The Marine Corps, for example, has a single civilian employee manually combing through more than 10,000 flagged images. With over 1,600 social media pages still unaddressed, the process is proving to be as messy as it is misguided.
A Bigger Picture of Censorship
The erasure of LGBTQ-related content, even if incidental, underscores a deeper message: diversity itself is being treated as a problem in the U.S. military. While officials insist they are just following orders, the impact is clear. Scrubbing references to women, Black, and LGBTQ service members sends a chilling message to those who serve.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made no secret of his disdain for DEI programs, declaring that “DEI is dead” and claiming that diversity initiatives erode military camaraderie. But when that same logic is applied so bluntly that a warplane gets flagged for simply bearing the name “Gay,” the absurdity of the purge becomes undeniable.
The military has long grappled with how to balance its history with its future. But as it rushes to rewrite its own record, one thing is certain: no amount of digital scrubbing can erase the contributions of those who fought—and continue to fight—for a more inclusive armed forces.