By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS — LGBT Politics USA
CAMBRIDGE, MA — (July 13, 2025) — Harvard University has quietly removed the official websites for its LGBTQ+, women’s, and multicultural student centers — just days after the Trump Administration ramped up threats to strip the Ivy League institution of its federal funding, accreditation, and international student enrollment.
Trump Freezes $2.2B in Harvard Grants Over DEI Defiance
The once-public pages for the Office of BGLTQ Student Life, Harvard Women’s Center, and Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations vanished Wednesday. Their disappearance came hours after Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi Hoekstra emailed faculty to announce a new “Office for Academic Culture and Community” — signaling what many believe is a politically forced restructuring of DEI initiatives.
“This new office is part of the [university’s] ongoing effort to break down silos… to foster a culture rooted in care, curiosity, and collaboration,” Hoekstra wrote in the statement shared with The Advocate.
Critics, however, say the rebrand is a capitulation to the Trump Administration’s campaign against campus diversity.
Trump Freezes $2.2 Billion, Blocks Visas, Threatens Accreditation
Tensions between Harvard and the Trump White House exploded earlier this year when the university defied multiple executive directives demanding it shut down all DEI programs and discipline students protesting Israel’s war on Gaza.
Trump retaliated by freezing over $2.2 billion in federal grants earmarked for the university, while Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem issued an immediate ban on Harvard enrolling new international students. At the same time, the Department of Health and Human Services accused Harvard of fostering “anti-Semitism” for allowing students to wear pro-Palestinian symbols at graduation.
A subsequent letter from HHS to Harvard President Alan Garber insisted the university had “failed to meet intellectual and civil rights conditions” tied to federal funding — and demanded DEI elimination as a condition of restored compliance.
DHS Subpoenas Student Records as Lawsuits Mount
In a parallel escalation, the Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed Harvard for detailed records on how its international students comply with immigration laws — prompting a legal showdown.
Harvard responded by filing two lawsuits: one challenging the visa enrollment ban, which a federal judge temporarily blocked, and another targeting the frozen federal funding, set for hearing on July 21.
Adding to the pressure, the New England Commission of Higher Education received a formal request from the Trump Administration to review and revoke Harvard’s accreditation for allegedly violating federal mandates on viewpoint neutrality.
Websites Disappear — Future of LGBTQ+ Support Unclear
While Harvard has not confirmed whether the LGBTQ+, women’s, and multicultural centers have been shut down entirely, the takedown of their digital presence is being viewed as the first visible concession to federal pressure.
Hoekstra’s vague assurances that “more details will be shared in the fall semester” have done little to calm fears that Harvard’s DEI infrastructure is being dismantled behind closed doors.
Massachusetts Activists Sound the Alarm
LGBTQ+ rights groups and student advocates in Massachusetts are calling the move a dangerous precedent that threatens LGBTQ+ visibility and safety on campuses nationwide.
“Harvard caving to federal censorship will ripple far beyond Cambridge,” said one organizer. “It signals to other universities that your LGBTQ+ centers and women’s programs are negotiable. That’s terrifying.”
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