Military Schools Ban "Gender Ideology" Material, Enact Book Bans And Don't Say Gay Policies
The little-noticed policies will impact military K-12 schools, serving over 67,000 students in the United States and abroad.
On Monday, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA)—the agency responsible for overseeing the education of service members’ children—sent a memo to parents announcing an “operational compliance review” in response to recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. The orders, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schools,” explicitly target what the administration calls “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion), pushing for de facto Don’t Say Gay policies in classrooms and mandating the removal of materials perceived to promote “gender ideology.” The DoDEA memo reflects this agenda, stating that it has initiated a review of library books across more than 100 school systems to screen for content related to “gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics.”
This memo, which was quietly republished on the DoDEA website, also details the agency’s intent to comply with prohibitions on recognizing or celebrating “cultural awareness months.” It was signed by Director Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, who, despite the restrictive policies outlined, concluded the memo with a statement claiming that DoDEA remains “committed to fostering a learning environment where every student feels valued, supported, and empowered to succeed in a dynamic world.”
No specific details were provided in the memo regarding which materials would be removed from schools. However, Stars and Stripes reported that eight materials have already been identified for removal, including A Nation of Immigrants and Becoming Nicole, a biography of Nicole Maines detailing her life as a transgender woman. A biography of Union soldier Albert Cashier, whom many historians believe was a transgender man, has also been banned. Additionally, Stars and Stripes reported that student clubs focused on LGBTQ+ pride and women in STEM have been disbanded. Regional staff in each school district have been tasked with further identifying books on library shelves for “compliance,” with even teachers’ personal classroom collections subject to review. The deadline for this review has been set for February 18.
Book Riot additionally reports that a Black History Month unit will be removed, along with fifth-grade lessons on immigration and a book on comprehensive health skills. The outlet also revealed a leaked memo sent to internal faculty within DODEA Europe, which oversees the education of servicemembers’ children living abroad. The memo appears to mirror policies being enacted in the United States, outlining a strict bathroom ban, a sports ban, and the forced misgendering of transgender students in all school documents and systems. It also tacitly promotes conversion therapy, stating that any counseling provided to transgender students “must remain objective and neutral in its application without taking action that would unlawfully facilitate the gender transition of a minor student.”
It is currently unclear how many schools are complying with these orders. The Department of Defense Education Activity serves over 67,000 students, both in the United States and in families serving abroad, across more than 100 separate school districts. At least one school, Wiesbaden Middle School in Wiesbaden, Germany, is complying, according to a leaked email from its principal obtained by Book Riot.
The restriction of these courses and books represents the latest move in government censorship, overreach, and discrimination against marginalized individuals. Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the Department of Education issued a press release dismissing book ban investigations by its Office for Civil Rights as a “hoax” and eliminating the position of “book ban coordinator.” Meanwhile, the American Library Association has identified over 4,000 books targeted for removal from libraries and school districts, calling these actions “censorship.”
In response to the Department of Education’s claim, the American Library Association (ALA) issued a statement condemning the assertion that book bans are a “hoax.” The organization stated, “In their cruel and headlong effort to terminate protections from discrimination for LGBTQIA+ students and students of color, the Department of Education advances the demonstrably false claim that book bans are not real. Book bans are real. Ask students who cannot access literary classics required for college or parents whose children can’t check out a book about gay penguins at their school library. Ask school librarians who have lost their jobs for protecting the freedom to read.”
The Trump administration’s actions are increasingly testing the limits of constitutional governance, as it disregards judicial rulings and consolidates power within the executive branch. Legal experts and civil rights organizations warn that book bans and sweeping censorship policies violate the First Amendment, yet the administration continues to frame such measures as necessary to combat so-called “anti-American ideology.” With the administration escalating its claims that even the judiciary is illegitimate, the coming months will test the resilience of American institutions. Whether these challenges are met with compliance or resistance will ultimately depend not on those in power, but on the willingness of the public to push back.
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The only gender ideology at work here is the one that says "thou art your plumbing arrangements."
I suppose removing any reference to historic soldiers who might have been trans is in keeping with banning trans soldiers in the present. Heaven forbid that anyone learn that a trans person not only existed, but lived a disciplined, honourable, truthful, humble and selfless life, 150 years before trans people were even supposed to have existed.
Funny how it’s the right who are the real thought police afoot in the world today.
Huh. "Discriminatory equity" they say. The biggest oxymoron I've heard in quite some time. Also, isn't removing a book about a likely trans service member tacit admission that trans people do, in fact, exist in history, like we've always said, and that their claim of transness being a new thing is false? I mean, if trans people "didn'" exist in history, why remove the book at all? I feel so sorry for any trans or other marginalized kids in those schools (and other schools that have implemented similar policies).