Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Hampton Medical Center in Virginia were reportedly warned in October that they could face discipline — or even be fired — for wearing or displaying rainbow-themed items, including official VA Pride lanyards.
The warning is the latest example of the Trump administration’s efforts to downplay or erase acknowledgment of LGBTQ identity under the guise of eliminating so-called “wokeness” and other references to identity-based characteristics deemed “divisive.”
As reported by The Advocate, local leadership at the medical center sent out the directive citing an “executive order,” though it was unclear whether that referred to Donald Trump’s directive banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in federal agencies, or his order declaring that the U.S. government recognizes only two biological sexes as valid.
In one message, an employee claimed a physician told a colleague, “Anything rainbow, like lanyards, can get us fired on the spot.” The same employee added, “There’s nothing in writing that says this, and she can’t provide anything in writing either.”
Another message alleged that Michael Harper, the hospital’s interim executive director, had stated that rainbow-themed items would not be permitted on site.
Other messages indicate that supervisors relayed the warning to staff, claiming the guidance came from the “central office.”
“They stated, per executive order, you cannot have lanyards, rainbow magnets, [or] shirts … and Central Office is coming down on our leadership, which is spilling down to us,” one staffer wrote.
One employee, refusing to comply, responded, “I’m going to wear my official VA-issued rainbow lanyard tomorrow as usual. I’m going to need an official policy or statement before I remove it, and y’all are gonna need to provide me with a replacement.”
Another staff member attributed the clampdown to internal complaints. “It’s because we have staff and vets being little snowflakes about colors, [which is] why they are coming down on it,” they wrote.
A doctor at another East Coast VA hospital, whose identity is being withheld to prevent retaliation, told The Advocate they had heard about the alleged crackdown on rainbow-themed gear and apparel at Hampton. While the doctor said it “hasn’t been an issue” at their facility, “any facilities [that] say you can’t wear them are going against policy.” The doctor added that rainbow flags — and any rectangular items perceived as such — have been banned from VA facilities.
The Department of Veterans Affairs did not respond to The Advocate’s inquiry asking whether the directive had been approved by the department or if Hampton Medical Center leadership acted independently.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito hinted in recent remarks that the court is unlikely to overturn its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide -- even though he personally disagrees with it.
Part of the court’s six-member conservative majority, Alito made the remarks on October 3 during an academic conference hosted by the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.
In his speech, Alito referenced the Obergefell marriage equality decision while praising what he called the "bright future" of constitutional originalism -- the idea that the Constitution should be interpreted as the founders intended when they wrote it in 1787.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that USA Powerlifting discriminated against a transgender woman by barring her from competition, while sending part of the case back to a lower court for further review.
JayCee Cooper, the transgender athlete at the center of the case, was denied entry into two women's competitions in 2018. At the time, she was taking hormone therapy to lower her testosterone levels and applied for a medical exemption, since the drug was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. That exemption request revealed her transgender status to USA Powerlifting, which then refused to let her compete.
A federal judge says she plans to issue a preliminary injunction blocking a Trump administration policy that would cut funding for sex education programs, including so-called "gender ideology." The announcement came during a conference call with state attorneys and federal officials.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order barring schools from engaging in what it calls the "social transition" of transgender youth -- meaning any recognition of gender identity as distinct from biological sex, including using a student’s chosen name or pronouns or making accommodations based on gender identity.
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