It Gets Better has found a clever new way to highlight some of the many words the Trump administration is trying to erase from government records.
The LGBTQ+ advocacy group, whose mission "to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe," has released a new online crossword puzzle using only words and terms that have been banned or discouraged from use by the Trump administration.
The website says that "under the Trump administration, nearly 200 words and phrases — many tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion — have been flagged for removal or limited use in federal agencies. Some of these words were erased from government websites. Others were used to flag grant proposals and policies for review."
"So while the government may try to erase certain language, we’re bringing it back — one clue at a time," the site continues. "Test your knowledge with our Banned Words crossword puzzle, featuring just a small selection of the many terms this administration wants to disappear. Because no matter how hard they try, our words — and our stories — aren’t going anywhere."
The Trump administration has a long list of words including "activism," "assigned female at birth," "assigned male at birth," "feminism," "diversity," "LGBT," "transsexual," "unconscious bias," "underprivileged," and more that were barred or discouraged from use in federal documents, websites, memos, and guidelines, according to The New York Times.
One example is the erasure of the "T" from the LGBTQ+ acronym and references to trans people from the Stonewall National Monument's official website.
"The Stonewall Uprising – a monumental moment in the fight for LGBTQ rights – would not have happened without the leadership of transgender and gender non-conforming people," said GLAAD in a statement. "The tireless work of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans women of color paved the way and continue to inspire us."
Play the crossword at ItGetsBetter.org.
