Diplomat’s ‘Gay Maps’ Comment Draws Questions

By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Correspondent | LGBT Politics News

WASHINGTON — (March 6, 2026) — A House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing took an unusual turn Thursday after a top diplomat serving in the Trump administration referenced what she described as past efforts by the Biden administration to “make the maps more gay,” prompting visible confusion among lawmakers.

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The exchange occurred during a hearing titled “Advancing National Security Through Public Diplomacy,” where committee members questioned State Department officials about foreign diplomacy initiatives and grant programs funded in recent years.

During the hearing, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) pressed State Department Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers about comments suggesting that previous diplomacy programs involved efforts to “queer” or alter mapping initiatives connected to foreign policy projects.

At one point in the hearing, Mast asked Rogers directly, “Can you tell me what is queering the map?”

Rogers responded by referencing what she described as past discussions within the department.

“So I think we were trying to make the maps more gay,” Rogers said, suggesting the terminology may have been used metaphorically or within academic frameworks.

The remark appeared to catch the committee chair off guard.

“Literally?” Mast asked. “How do you make a map more gay? Or gay at all?”

Rogers acknowledged uncertainty about the exact meaning behind the phrase, noting that the term “queer” is sometimes used as a verb in academic and cultural theory.

“I don’t know,” Rogers said. “Since the age of cartography we’ve had pretty good maps, but maybe they weren’t gay enough.”

She added that the reference may have related to mapping projects involving countries such as Czechia and Slovakia, though she said she was unsure of the specific details surrounding the initiative.

The exchange quickly became a focal point of the hearing as lawmakers questioned broader State Department spending tied to cultural and diversity programs overseas.

Mast cited several initiatives that he said were funded through U.S. diplomacy grants, including diversity programs and public events in countries such as Kyrgyzstan, India, Luxembourg, Spain, New Zealand, Canada, and Malaysia.

The Florida lawmaker argued that Congress should focus on what he described as more pressing national security concerns.

“We do have real things to work on in Congress,” Mast said during the hearing, referencing global security tensions and diplomatic priorities.

He also suggested lawmakers would seek more detailed information about the individuals responsible for drafting grant proposals tied to the programs discussed.

The moment quickly circulated online following the hearing, with clips of the exchange generating debate across social media about the use of academic language and terminology in government programs.

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