Sexual assault victims are being abandoned—just as Trump ordered
Resources to help victims and survivors of sexual assault are being denied to anyone who calls the National Sexual Assault Hotline, thanks to another bogus executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
According to The New York Times, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network purged these resources from the list of referrals used by operators of the hotline, which was used by 460,000 people last year. The resources supported the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, women, and other marginalized groups who have been targeted by Trump and the GOP.
On his second day in office, Trump signed an executive order called “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Merit-Based Opportunity,” which directed the federal government to pull funding from projects and organizations that reportedly support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Trump has dedicated his administration to rolling back civil rights and advancements made over the last 100 years. This order is a central part of that push, and now it’s proving to be a boon for sexual abusers.
A group of volunteers sent a letter to RAINN’s board objecting to its decision to bow to Trump’s discriminatory action.
“RAINN may face uncertain risks in the future if we stand by marginalized survivors, but we are certain to lose our values now if we do not stand with them today,” the letter said.
According to the Washington Post, RAINN also complied with the Trump administration in February by scrubbing its website of references to transgender people. Opposing transgender rights was a rallying cry for Republicans in the 2024 election, leading to Trump signing executive orders banning transgender people from serving in the military, among other things.
But not everyone is bowing to Trump.
The Times noted that the National Sexual Violence Resource Center initially removed references to transgender people from its website to comply with Trump’s order, but it restored them after facing public pressure.
“Unpublishing content from our website was a fear-based decision to the executive orders. We heard you, and recognize that this was the wrong choice, and we are committed to rebuilding trust, learning from this experience, and ensuring that our actions align with our mission to support survivors of all communities, their allies, and advocates,” a press release said.
And the Trevor Project, a leading suicide prevention organization for the LGBTQ+ community, is now running a grassroots fundraising campaign to make up for the funding it expects to lose instead of buckling to Trump’s demands.
The Trump administration’s attack on LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and victims and survivors of sexual abuse serves as a reminder that Trump himself is an admitted serial sexual abuser who was found liable in court for sexual abuse. He has also made it clear that he’s soft on crime—particularly when it benefits him.
Targeting survivors and victims of sexual assault isn’t a deviation for Trump: It’s what he’s always been about.