U.S. to Track Gender-Transition Procedures for Minors and DEI Programs in Annual Rights Report

The State Department announced a notable policy shift: its long-running annual human rights report will now document countries that permit gender-transition procedures for minors and those that implement diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Background

First published nearly 50 years ago, the State Department's yearly review of human rights practices aims to provide detailed accounts of abuses overseas and has frequently provoked criticism from foreign governments. In a cable distributed to U.S. embassies worldwide, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed diplomats to include reporting on several priorities associated with President Trump as part of a streamlined, reworked annual report.

New Reporting Directives

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott framed the change as a response to what the administration described as "new destructive ideologies" that enable human rights violations. Pigott said the administration would not allow "these human rights violations, such as the mutilation of children, laws that infringe on free speech and racially discriminatory employment practices, to go unchecked."

The guidance asks embassies to document nations that permit what the memorandum calls the "chemical or surgical mutilation of children in operations that attempt to modify their sex" and to note instances of affirmative action or other "preferential treatment" based on "race, sex or caste." These characterizations are presented as the administration's definitions for reporting purposes.

Related Policy Changes

Rubio's State Department has already taken steps reflecting this shift. Officials have directed that U.S. passports reflect an individual's sex as listed on their birth certificate, ending a previous practice that allowed people to select their sex on the document and removing an "X" gender option introduced under the prior administration. The department has also eliminated the State Department position that served as an envoy for sexual minorities overseas.

Domestically, the administration has moved to roll back some equity programs aimed at historically disadvantaged groups and has publicly criticized companies that maintain such policies, arguing they disadvantage the country's majority population.

Reactions and Context

Human rights groups reacted strongly. Amnesty International called the changes "chilling," accusing the U.S. of attempting to institutionalize a philosophy that recognizes rights for some people but not others. Amanda Klasing of Amnesty International USA said the move signals that the United States "no longer believes in the foundational element of the human rights system it helped build."

Observers noted this shift follows a trend in which the administration emphasizes certain rights while minimizing or de-emphasizing others. In the most recent human rights report released under the current administration, references to LGBTQ concerns were significantly reduced, including in coverage of countries such as Uganda, which has enacted anti-homosexuality legislation with severe penalties.

Rubio also instructed embassies to monitor free-speech issues. The administration has criticized restrictions in allied countries, such as actions against Germany's far-right AfD or penalties in Britain tied to online posts about migrants, even as it has revoked visas for foreigners over social-media posts critical of Israel's campaign in Gaza and for posts mocking conservative commentator Charlie Kirk after his murder.

On other high-profile human rights controversies, President Trump drew criticism when he downplayed the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi while welcoming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who pledged major investment.

A senior State Department official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said Secretary Rubio seeks to refocus U.S. human-rights work on "natural rights," a concept favored by philosophical conservatives and emphasized during the previous Trump administration. "The United States remains committed to the Declaration of Independence's recognition that all men are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights," the official said.

The policy shift is likely to reshape both how the United States frames human-rights concerns abroad and how it balances competing strategic interests, while drawing scrutiny from rights organizations and foreign governments.