Mercer University: Administrators Remove LGBTQ+ Content from Website

On April 14, 2025, local newspaper The Telegraph reported that Mercer University removed from its website material related to a student-led research project about LGBTQ+ history at the university in an effort to comply with the Trump Administration’s January 21 Executive Order regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies. Mercer said it had “temporarily archived” the content “pending guidance” from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education on how the EO will be applied. On May 8, FIRE wrote Mercer urging it to restore the material because its removal is not justified by the plain language of the EO and the federal government cannot require a private university to refrain from speaking about LGBTQ+ issues in a manner that would violate the First Amendment.