A conservative policy blueprint known as Project 2025 has sent shock through the LGBTQ community and sex worker advocates. The 920-page plan, crafted by the Heritage Foundation and dozens of right-wing organizations, calls for the criminalization of pornography if Republicans retake the White House in 2024. Critics warn this “War on Porn” would have devastating consequences for sex workers and LGBTQ individuals.
Project 2025 was developed by a coalition that includes many groups the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as anti-LGBTQ hate groups. In addition to the porn ban, it contains at least 32 provisions aimed at rolling back hard-fought LGBTQ rights like same-sex marriage and non-discrimination protections.
While former President Donald Trump claims he wasn't involved in Project 2025 and doesn't agree with all of it, the plan was heavily shaped by his former officials and allies. LGBTQ advocates fear much of it would likely be implemented in a second Trump term.
“It is a wrecking ball aimed at the very foundations of civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, health care access, voting rights, and environmental protections,” the Human Rights Campaign said.
The provision on pornography ominously links porn to the “propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children.” It declares: “Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders.”
This broad definition could criminalize a vast swath of LGBTQ content and put millions of adult content creators at risk of arrest, the Free Speech Coalition warns. They say LGBTQ sex workers would be hit hardest, pushing them further into the margins, and increasing risk of violence and exploitation.
The plan would have far-reaching impacts beyond just porn. It seeks to eliminate terms like “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” and “reproductive rights” from all federal laws and policies. It aims to enshrine a “biblically based” definition of family as only married heterosexual couples with children. Transgender people are demonized, with the plan falsely equating their existence to pornography and child sexualization.
For the LGBTQ community, the internet has been a vital lifeline – a place to find healthcare, community, and self-expression. But it also comes with major risks of bullying and harassment, especially for transgender individuals. A recent survey found 83% of trans adults have faced online bullying, and 93% have seen anti-LGBTQ misinformation.
Despite the grave threats Project 2025 poses, there has been little mainstream media coverage. Over 40% of U.S. voters say they've heard nothing about it. LGBTQ advocates are racing to raise awareness and mobilize opposition before it's too late.
As Pride Month celebrations wind down, the LGBTQ community and its allies are gearing up for a long battle ahead. Project 2025 may read like a far-right fever dream, but the forces behind it are very real – and very determined to turn back the clock on LGBTQ equality.
