ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL LEADS COALITION SUPPORTING CHALLENGE TO EXECUTIVE ORDERS UNLAWFULLY TARGETING TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY[...]

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL LEADS COALITION SUPPORTING CHALLENGE TO EXECUTIVE ORDERS UNLAWFULLY TARGETING TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES

October 10, 2025

Chicago - Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting a legal challenge to President Trump's executive orders targeting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives and programs that support transgender individuals.

Raoul and the coalition filed their brief in San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump before the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. At issue on appeal are several provisions in the executive orders that direct agencies to terminate federal funding for "equity-related" grants and grants that promote "gender ideology." The plaintiffs in the case argue that these funding provisions impose illegal burdens on organizations that provide critical services to LGBTQ communities - many specifically supporting transgender individuals.

"The Trump administration's attacks on the rights of transgender individuals and lawful diversity initiatives violate the constitutional rights of groups that serve the LGBTQ community and harm their ability to provide critical services," Raoul said. "I stand with those who challenge this administration's illegal attempts to turn back the clock on the important progress that has been made in our country toward equity."

In their brief, Raoul and the coalition maintain that diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs are lawful, beneficial and ensure compliance with federal civil rights statutes. The attorneys general also explain how the challenged provisions in the executive orders harm their states, residents and businesses by denying them the many valuable benefits associated with workplaces, schools and communities that have adopted practices related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

Additionally, the coalition explains that the funding provisions related to "gender ideology" unlawfully terminate grants and other awards that support critical services and lifesaving health care for transgender individuals. Not only does this discriminatory directive harm the organizations that rely on this funding, but it also harms the health and well-being of transgender residents who rely on these services and who are already among the most vulnerable members of our society.

A lower court granted the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction, but the administration appealed. Raoul and the attorneys general are urging the appeals court to uphold the injunction.

Attorney General Raoul co-led the coalition with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. They were joined in filing the brief by the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.