On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders implementing changes in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, and Oregon veterans are feeling the effects. 

The orders were a part of Trump’s campaign to reshape the US military system, and the executive orders abolished DEI offices and programs in the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security. 

In the past month, changes in all DEI-related departments have been felt. DEI services can include therapy for veterans, nursing rooms for new mothers and other services. It also extends to education and employee-customer relationships and procedures.  

These effects are felt on a national and smaller scale here in Oregon. The OSU Holcomb Center for Military and Veteran Resources is concerned about how these new mandates will bleed into the Department of Veteran Affairs and its effect on access to care and benefits. 

Nikki Gold, LGBTQ+ community coordinator for the Center, explains that she is concerned specifically about suicide prevention efforts. 

“The veteran community faces higher rates of suicide than our civilian counterparts as it is, and now many employees providing support for veterans through the veteran crisis line were fired,” Gold said. Without employees to man these crisis lines, Gold sees an issue. 

Transgender military members have been targeted and called inadequate. The National Library of Medicine reports that only 8,000 transgender members are currently in service, out of the total 2.8 million US service members. 

The DEI offices affected by Trump’s policies work to ensure fair treatment and full participation for all people, regardless of race, gender or orientation.

According to the White House, “Federal hiring, promotions, and performance reviews will reward individual initiative, skills, performance, and hard work and not, under any circumstances, DEI-related factors, goals, policies, mandates, or requirements.” 

Trump’s goal is to increase efficiency and production in the American military. According to a fact sheet released by the White House, “Individual dignity, hard work, and excellence are fundamental to American greatness. This Executive Order reaffirms these values by ending the Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-constitutional and deeply demeaning “equity” mandates, terminating DEI, and protecting civil rights.” 

These new policies have created concerns for some members of the military because the EOs extend to certain Veterans Association benefits and the way service members were previously treated under DEI coverage. 

“We are proud to have abandoned the divisive DEI policies of the past and pivot back to VA’s core mission. We look forward to reallocating the millions of dollars the department was spending on DEI programs and personnel to better serve the men and women who have bravely served our nation,” said VA Director of Media Affairs Morgan Ackley in a press release.

The main issue arises for veterans and active duty members who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community — especially transgender people — and other minoritized communities. 

One order titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” states that “service members with gender dysphoria and those with ‘shifting pronoun usage or use of pronouns that inaccurately reflect an individual’s sex’ are unfit to serve in the military.” 

Without considering this, the executive order speaks of transgender individuals as an all-encompassing, singular identity, and rolls out a policy that is more restrictive than prior legislation. 

“LGBTQ+ service members take the same oath and perform the same duties as their straight cis counterparts. These are people willing to give their life and die for our country, and they do not deserve to be removed simply for who they are. It really feels like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ part two,” Gold said. 

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell refers to a policy adopted by the US military in 1994 that barred gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans from serving in the military and was grounds for being discharged if on active duty. The policy was repealed in 2011. 

In a recent press release, the VA announced it had identified several contracts for DEI-related training and materials that the department is working to cancel. The VA reports the combined value of these contracts to be more than $6.1 million in funding.

OSU Veteran Resources and the Holcomb Center are worried about these budget cuts and changes in policy and opinion. They urge individuals and higher government administration to resist the stereotypes and mistreatment of transgender individuals. 

“The value in DEI offices and programs for OSU Veterans is immeasurable. ‘Veteran’ is not our only identity; we are so diverse,” Gold said.