A prominent conservative LGBTQ+ organisation in the United States has announced it is ending its advocacy for trans people, a move that comes as President Donald Trump's administration continues to pursue policies restricting trans rights.
The Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBTQ+ conservatives within the Republican Party, said its board had voted to focus exclusively on issues relating to sexual orientation. Board president Ross Hemminger said the organisation would now concentrate on being an "LGB advocacy organisation", ending a policy adopted in 2015 that formally included support for trans rights.
The decision marks a significant shift for a group founded nearly 50 years ago to oppose discrimination against gay and lesbian people. Established in California in 1977, Log Cabin Republicans emerged from a campaign against the Briggs Initiative, a proposed law that would have barred gay and lesbian people from teaching in public schools. The organisation has long presented itself as a bridge between LGBTQ+ Americans and the Republican Party.
In an online essay, Hemminger said the organisation first embraced trans rights in 2015 but argued that the movement had since become associated with what he described as a "radical gender ideology".
The announcement comes as trans Americans face mounting political and legal challenges. Since returning to office, Trump has issued a series of executive actions targeting trans rights and declared that the US government will recognise only two sexes, male and female. His administration has also launched investigations into educational institutions over trans-inclusive policies and threatened to withhold federal funding from those that do not comply with federal directives.
LGBTQ+ organisations and civil rights groups have condemned such measures, warning they undermine the rights, dignity and safety of transgender people. Campaigners argue that restrictions introduced by the Trump administration, alongside legislation passed in several Republican-led states, have contributed to an increasingly hostile climate for trans communities across the country.
The Log Cabin Republicans' decision has also drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue that separating transgender people from the wider LGBTQ+ movement weakens efforts to defend equality. Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Delphine Luneau said attempts to divide the community were "exactly what anti-equality forces want to see happen".
The organisation is perhaps best known for challenging the US military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which barred openly gay people from serving in the armed forces. Critics of the latest move say it represents a sharp departure from the group's historic role in opposing discrimination, at a time when trans Americans are increasingly finding themselves at the centre of political battles over healthcare, education, legal recognition and public life.
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