NEWS 07 February 2025 ‘We are a target’: scientific society under pressure after Trump DEI crackdown
The American Society for Microbiology deleted terms such as equity from its website, sparking protests from members
A prominent US scientific society altered its website to remove references to diversity and equity ― terms targeted by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Articles about scientists who are members of under-represented groups also temporarily vanished from the site, although they have since reappeared.The editing sparked an outcry among some of the more than 37,000 members of the organization, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in Washington DC. Some ASM members note that other scientific societies have posted statements in support of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), rather than deleting terms targeted by White House orders.What Trump’s flurry of executive orders means for science
“I feel sad, mad, disappointed,” says Carla Bonilla, a biologist at the University of San Diego, California, who was born in El Salvador. An article about her on the ASM website was briefly replaced with a notice saying ‘Under review’ before being restored. Bonilla has been a member of the ASM since 2015, and says that it had always been consistent in its support for scientists from diverse backgrounds. But now, she says, it feels “like they are trying to hide me”.
Discover more from DrWeb's Domain
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
