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DOJ Pride, the LGBTQ+ resource and support group for LGBTQ+ Department of Justice employees, notified its members the group had immediately ceased operations in response to President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders targeting the LGBTQ+ community, NBC News reports.
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“In this time of uncertainty and concern, we have taken the extraordinary measure of ceasing operations of DOJ Pride,” DOJ Pride’s board said in an email sent to its members on Tuesday. “We have made this decision in the interest and for the protection of all members.”
A DOJ employee who feared retaliation by the Trump administration for speaking out and wished to remain anonymous described recent events at the department as “extraordinarily alarming.”
Related: Trump signs executive order banning federal support of gender-affirming care for anyone under 19
“If I could go back into the closet at work,” the employee told NBC News, “I would.”
When asked if the DOJ supports DOJ Pride’s decision, an unnamed DOJ spokesperson said via phone that the department and the Trump administration strongly support “the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of association.”
Related: Donald Trump signs new executive order affecting transgender military members
The spokesperson suggested that DOJ Pride would be protected by the administration rather than fall victim to future government efficiency or anti-LGBTQ+ moves.
“If there are groups of employees at the department who want to organize like-minded communities,” the spokesperson said, “Then I think that’s freedom of association.”
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Related: Trump signs executive order targeting transgender students, their teachers, and their schools
DOJ Pride was founded in 1994 by DOJ employees. According to its charter and website, one of the many goals of the organization is to “identify and address issues particularly affecting LGBTQ+ employees of the Department,” serve as a resource for members, and foster a sense of community within the DOJ.
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