In recent days, President-elect Donald Trump has been announcing his choices for U.S. Cabinet positions. Here’s a look at their track records on LGBTQ+ rights.
Director Of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard served as U.S. representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021 as a Democrat and was vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. She ran for president in 2020 and in 2022 announced she was leaving the Democratic Party. Early in her career, she worked with her father, Hawaii state Sen. Mike Gabbard, to oppose same-sex marriage, but later expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, in 2020, she introduced the “Protect Women’s Sports Act,” which would bar transgender women from participating in athletics, and in 2022 she supported Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Secretary Of State: Marco Rubio
Rubio has served as a senator from Florida since 2011 and, prior to that, was a member of the Florida House of Representatives. He ran for president in 2016 but ultimately endorsed Trump. Rubio is anti-abortion, supporting a ban even in cases of rape and incest. He has supported anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, referred to the Respect for Marriage Act as a “stupid waste of time,” and earned a zero on the Human Rights Campaign Congressional Scorecard. Rubio also used a drag queen in an attack ad without permission, opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and supported Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Attorney General: Matt Gaetz
Gaetz earned a zero from the HRC for his time in the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida. He has clashed with fellow Republican leaders, including filing a resolution to remove then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Gaetz has voted against the Equality Act and Respect for Marriage Act, and during his Republican National Convention speech, he said that while Trump was in office, “we prospered, we were richer, inflation was low, and there were two genders.” Gaetz was under investigation for sex trafficking and statutory rape starting in 2020, though he denied all accusations, and the initial investigation was concluded in 2023. However, the House Ethics Committee reopened the investigation. Gaetz resigned from the House days before the investigations supposed report was due to come out.
Homeland Security Adviser And Deputy Chief Of Staff For Policy: Stephen Miller
Longtime Trump adviser Miller runs the America First Legal organization, which opposes the “radical left’s anti-jobs, anti-freedom, anti-faith, anti-borders, anti-police, and anti-American crusade.” Several America First Legal staff were involved in writing the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Miller was also involved in anti-trans campaign ads run across the country during Trump’s recent campaign.
Department Of Government Efficiency: Elon Musk And Vivek Ramaswamy
Billionaire Tesla and X owner Musk and former presidential candidate Ramaswamy will share the role of head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Since Musk’s takeover of X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, previously banned accounts, such as those of Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Andrew Tate, were reinstated. LGBTQ+ X users expressed concerns about the platform’s shift in tone and reduced protections, as Musk deemed the term “cis” a slur. Musk, the father of an estranged transgender daughter, often voices concerns about gender-affirming care and diversity initiatives. He also founded America PAC, which donated over $100 million to support Trump in the latter part of his campaign.
Ramaswamy, a businessman, has supported candidates from various parties. In 2024, he ran for president, finishing fourth in the primaries before endorsing Trump. He has likened being transgender to a “mental health disorder” and signaled support for banning transgender health care for minors.
Secretary Of Defense: Pete Hegseth
U.S. Army veteran and Fox News host and pundit, Hegseth opposes women in combat, calling it a complication that “means casualties are worse.” He also opposes trans service members claiming the military is “pushing boundaries and lots of different levels that are different than that because men and women are different, because being transgendered in the military causes complications and differences.”
National Security Adviser: Mike Waltz
Walz currently serves in the U.S. House of Representative for Florida’s 6th district, taking over Ron DeSantis in 2019. In 2022, Walz broke ranks along with 46 other Republicans and voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, codifying the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.
Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem
Noem has been active in politics since 2007, serving as a representative in South Dakota’s legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives and is currently the governor of South Dakota. She opposed same-sex marriage when it became the law of the land in 2015 and signed a religious refusal bill to allow businesses to refuse services to LGBTQ+ people based on religious grounds.
UN Ambassador: Elise Stefanik
Stefanik has served in the U.S. House for New York’s 21st district since 2015. She initially supported the Equality Act in 2019 but changed her vote in 2021. Stefanik also joined fellow Trump appointee Mike Waltz in voting for the Respect for Marriage Act.