“Love is love” is a phrase asserting that all love is equal, valid, and deserves the same acceptance, regardless of gender or identity. However, since Trump took office on January 20th, 2025, this phrase has been carefully torn apart by his administration and its supporters. Gay marriage has been legal since the Supreme Court declared it legal during Obergefell v. Hodges just ten years ago. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order saying that the United States will only recognize 2 sexes: Male and Female.
Trump Administration Effects on the LGBTQ+ Community
On Trump’s first day in office, on January 25, 2026, Trump said that trans women would not be allowed to play in female sports, and then later banned trans people from serving in the military. He then deleted LGBTQ+ references from national landmarks, such as Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, which held some of the earliest gay rights protests. The Trump Administration followed this by canceling $800 million in grants for research on LGBTQ+ health, and then shut down the national suicide hotline directed toward helping save LGBTQ+ youth.
How Safe is Gay Marriage?
Trump’s administration and Republicans around the country tried their best to get Obergefell v Hodges overturned this past November. Their wish almost came true when the Supreme Court took the case back. However, they stood by their original decision, denying a petition from former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015, to overturn it, confirming that same-sex marriage remains protected nationwide, even as some states introduced anti-LBGTQ+ measures. In some states, like Texas, Idaho, and Michigan, legislative or judicial actions have been pursued to restrict gay marriage; however, not all of these have gone through.
