Government-wide flagged-word lists documented: 250+ federal pages show deletions of listed terms
- Date
- Actor
- Multiple agencies (memos and style guidance compiled by the New York Times)
- Type
- Data/communications
Summary
A New York Times compilation of government memos and official and unofficial agency guidance identified hundreds of words agencies had flagged to limit or avoid — including "transgender," "gender identity," "nonbinary," and "LGBT" — with some directives ordering removal from public websites and curricula, others advising caution, and others using term-presence to auto-flag grants and contracts for review. The Times' before/after analysis found more than 250 federal web pages with deletions or amendments of listed words. PEN America and Georgetown's Free Speech Project catalogued the same practice as government-wide censorship guidance.
Status
Term-avoidance guidance remained operative across agencies through 2026; the flagged-term mechanism resurfaced in 2026 DOJ and OMB actions (below).
As recorded in the data of . Check the sources for anything newer.