In February 2025, concerned about the Trump administration's attacks on history in general and LGBTQ+ history in particular, I contacted Lambda Legal Defense to discuss my interest, as OutHistory Director, in filing Freedom of Information Act requests to learn more about the federal government's recent actions. OutHistory already had taken the lead in re-publishing two reports censored by federal agencies: Wendy Rouse's "The Very Queer History of the Suffrage Movement" and Megan Springate's edited collection LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of LGBTQ History. OutHistory also had published a manifesto, "LGBTQ+ People Have Been Here Before: The Power of Our History," in response to government attacks on LGBTQ history.

As I noted in my email to Lambda:

"One idea of mine might require some legal support; it’s to file a series of FOIA requests to obtain info on how exactly anti-LGBTQ govt actions are happening. I know that FOIA requests take a long time to process, and they will likely take even longer with civil service cutbacks. But the sooner we file, the sooner we’ll get results. I’ve done FOIA requests before, but this set seems like it might require some legal support. Would you be able to assist or point me in the direction of someone who could help or would Lambda take the lead on this? I could do this as an individual or as OutHistory director."

Lambda helpfully put me in contact with American Oversight. Founded in 2017, American Oversight describes itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public’s right to government records."

Prompted by and in partnership with OutHistory, American Oversight filed a set of Freedom of Information Act requests on 21 May 2025.

FOIA requests generally take a long time to process, but we plan to report on new developments when they occur.