DHS Calendar Showed Multiple Pride Month Events Before Trump’s DEI Ban
Records obtained by a security nonprofit reveal that the Department of Homeland Security scheduled a series of LGBTQ-focused activities during June 2023, including forums and video sessions held during regular work hours.
A 20-page calendar from June 2023, released through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that the Department of Homeland Security organized numerous Pride Month activities during normal business hours. Entries included a bisexual and pansexual forum on June 13, a series of gender-identity forums later in the month, and a video watch party at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center featuring historical LGBTQ content.
At DHS headquarters, a flag-raising ceremony with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Deputy Secretary John Tien was also recorded. The Secret Service and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services planned a joint event featuring the first intersex and transgender graduate of the agency’s academy. Following Donald Trump’s January 2025 directive to terminate DEI programs, the White House and Office of Personnel Management ordered agencies to close DEI offices, but DHS has not clarified whether the 2023 Pride events were discontinued or replicated in 2025-2026. No cost, attendance figures, or confirmation of execution were provided in the documents.
Why it matters
It shows how federal agencies prioritized LGBTQ outreach under one administration and faces uncertainty after a new DEI ban.
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