Top anti-sexual-abuse organization accused of ‘complying with Trump’ after ‘removing’ trans people

America’s top anti-sexual assault nonprofit ‘obeyed Donald Trump’ by wiping almost all mentions of trans people from its website, critics say.

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, or RAINN, once listed more than 10 webpages that included the word ‘transgender’.

When searching the website now, however, users will be greeted by an error page reading: ‘Your search yielded no results.’

RAINN, which provides a national hotline for reporting sexual violence, said it made the changes to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders that target trans people.

Under the directives, organisations that receive federal funding must only recognise two genders, male and female, assigned at birth.

Trans people are four times more likely to be victims of violent crimes, including rape and sexual assault, than cisgender people.

A version of the webpage saved in November shows a story from a trans survivor (Picture: RAINN/Wayback Machine)

When the same URL is punched in, it comes up with a blank box (Picture: RAINN/Wayback Machine)

The National Center for Transgender Equality found that nearly half of the 27,715 trans people surveyed in 2015 experienced sexual assault.

Cut RAINN webpages include a first-hand account of a trans person who was sexually assaulted in high school, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

Now when the page is accessed, it comes up with a blank screen.

Trying to access RAINN’s inclusion policy, a page signposting resources for LGBTQ+ survivors or an explainer on the barriers they face now prompts the error message: ‘You are not authorised to access this page.’

Removed references also include a 2021 page titled ‘LGBTQ Survivors of Sexual Violence’, since renamed ‘Sexual Orientation & Sexual Violence’.

The article no longer mentions the LGBTQ+ acronym. The URL has been tweaked from ‘lgbtq-survivors-sexual-violence’ to ‘sexual-orientation-sexual-violence’.

President Donald Trump signed sweeping executive orders after taking office targeting trans rights (Picture

A news release headed, ‘New PSA Examines Experiences of Transgender Survivors with a Message that RAINN is Here for Everyone’, has been eliminated.

RAINN’s 2020 statistics on campus sexual violence have also been scrubbed. A figure that 23.1% of trans genderqueer, nonconforming college students have been sexually assaulted has been removed.

RAINN has been approached for comment.

The edits are part of a wider trend of American webpages that document LGBTQ+ issues being ‘censored’.

According to independent journalist Mady Castigan, around 2,000 webpages including the US Park Services’ page on a monument honouring the Stonewall Uprising have been scrubbed in recent weeks.

Of them, 1,500 included the word ‘transgender’ and 1,300 ‘gay’, ‘lesbian’ or ‘transgender’.

The only time the search results for the word ‘transgender’ were archived was in 2022, showing at least 10 webpages (Picture: RAINN/Wayback Machine)

Now searching ‘transgender’ on RAINN ‘yields no results’ (Picture: RAINN)

‘RAINN is just the tip of the iceberg,’ Castigan told Metro. ‘There are dozens if not more nonprofits doing the exact same thing to their websites as we speak.’

The data researcher stressed that RAINN was not ‘forced’ to remove references to trans people. The Sexual Violence Center noted that the move was ‘not required by law but is a deliberate choice by their leadership’.

‘Some may defend RAINN and other organisations by saying that the censorship is required to maintain the funds to continue to serve victims,’ Castigan continued.

‘But by removing these resources, the organisations have already done more harm than good to the people they serve. LGBTQ+ people will never feel safe using the RAINN hotline, and many people have said online they are stopping donations and other support for the organisation.’

Castigan said that RAINN is ‘sabotaging’ its services and ’emboldening’ the Trump administration to crack down on LGBTQ+ rights.

‘By obeying in advance, these organisations teach the Trump administration the power that the president has over the free speech of independent organisations,’ she added.

The government-run website for the Stonewall National Monument also had references to trans people wiped from it this month (Picture: AFP)

‘But I believe that the strong pushback against RAINN’s decision and the loss of public support for the organisation may help convince nonprofit executives to think twice before abandoning LGBTQ+ people.’

Ben Kernighan, the interim CEO at Galop, a UK anti-LGBTQ+ violence charity, worries what impact this could have across the pond.

‘The removal of rights, freedoms and safe spaces of US trans citizens is unacceptable, and has a ripple effect that could put trans people in the UK at greater risk of abuse and violence,’ Kernighan told Metro.

‘When there is an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ narratives from those in power, we see increases in victims seeking support for anti-LGBTQ+ abuse.’

Gary Williams, CEO of SurvivorsUK, which supports male and non-binary survivors of sexual violence, said all survivors of abuse deserve ’unwavering’ support.

‘Yet too often, trans and non-binary people are left out of that equation, even though research shows they rank among the most common groups to be targeted for sexual violence intended to punish or convert them,’ he told Metro.

Trans people are more vulnerable to sexual violence, according to studies (Picture: EPA)

‘LGBTQ+ survivors are also less likely to access support if it’s not clear that a service is inclusive, that they will be welcomed and believed, which is why representation is so important.’

The White House has launched a raft of attacks on trans people since Trump returned to power in January.

The administration has, among other things, barred trans people from changing their gender on passports, criminalised teachers supporting trans students and banned trans athletes in women’s sports.

Some of Trump’s directives that challenge ‘gender ideology’ are being challenged in court.

Nonprofits lodged a joint lawsuit against the administration yesterday, arguing the orders infringe on their freedom of speech. Castigan suggested organisations like RAINN

RAINN told The Washington Post: ‘Our mission has not changed, and all of our services remain available to all survivors of sexual violence.’

Williams hopes this is the case.

‘At a time when misinformation is so prevalent,’ he said, ‘it is vital that anti-sexual violence organisations stand by trans and non-binary people and foster a community where every survivor can find the specialised care they need.’

Elizabeth Baker