Language has always been a battlefield. Orwell warned us with Newspeak, where narrowing vocabulary meant narrowing imagination. What we face now is not fiction but policy: the federal government has produced a roster of more than 350 terms deemed unacceptable in its documents. Words like abortion, affirming care, disability, climate change—entire domains of public life—are effectively erased from the lexicon of governance.
The result is not silence but distortion. A sentence stripped of these terms remains grammatically correct, yet it no longer points to reality. It is as if we are attempting to chart maps without symbols for rivers or mountains, then wondering why travelers lose their way.
Inside the agencies, staff describe a constant uncertainty. They cannot be sure whether their reports, their grant applications, even their internal emails, will be flagged for a phrase that has quietly migrated from permitted to prohibited. The punishment is rarely formal; it is the subtler consequence of careers stalled, funding withheld, projects quietly buried.
Orwell described “thoughtcrime.” What we are witnessing is its bureaucratic descendant: the quiet administrative narrowing of what can be named. And as history shows, when institutions can no longer name conditions accurately, they cannot address them. The danger is not only the silencing of dissent, but the hollowing of governance itself.
Here’s a consolidated list of 200 terms that have been reported or described as discouraged, flagged, or “banned” in certain federal contexts or guidance at various points. This is not a definitive master list—just a pull-together of recurring terms across categories:
- women
- gender
- transgender
- trans
- nonbinary
- pronouns
- LGBTQ
- LGBTQ+
- sexual orientation
- gender identity
- gender expression
- cisgender
- intersex
- queer
- two-spirit
- misgender
- deadname
- transition
- inclusive language
- inclusivity
- inclusion
- diversity
- diversify
- diverse communities
- equity
- equitable
- inequity
- social equity
- racial equity
- environmental justice
- justice-impacted
- restorative justice
- racial justice
- social justice
- climate justice
- disability
- disabilities
- disabled
- differently abled
- neurodivergent
- neurodiversity
- accessibility
- ADA compliance
- trauma
- trauma-informed
- adverse childhood experiences
- ACEs
- safe space
- trigger warning
- microaggression
- intersectionality
- implicit bias
- unconscious bias
- anti-bias
- bias mitigation
- systemic
- systemic racism
- structural racism
- structural inequality
- institutional racism
- white supremacy
- white nationalism
- white privilege
- privilege
- supremacy culture
- antiracism
- antiracist
- BIPOC
- people of color
- communities of color
- racialized
- ethnicity
- ethnic studies
- multicultural
- cultural competence
- cultural humility
- decolonize
- decolonization
- settler colonialism
- indigenous sovereignty
- land acknowledgment
- reproductive rights
- reproductive justice
- abortion
- fetus
- miscarriage care
- contraception access
- maternal health disparities
- gender-affirming care
- puberty blockers
- hormone therapy
- surgical affirmation
- birth-assigned sex
- assigned male at birth
- assigned female at birth
- menstruators
- pregnant people
- chestfeeding
- breastfeeding equity
- abortion access
- sanctuary policies
- sanctuary city
- undocumented
- unauthorized immigrant
- asylum seeker
- credible fear
- mixed-status families
- deportation relief
- DACA recipients
- Dreamers
- migrant justice
- language access
- limited English proficiency
- LEP communities
- translation equity
- environmental racism
- climate change
- climate crisis
- global warming
- decarbonization
- net-zero
- fossil-fuel phaseout
- just transition
- frontline communities
- cumulative impacts
- heat islands
- redlining
- fair housing enforcement
- housing insecurity
- food insecurity
- socioeconomic
- social determinants of health
- health disparities
- health equity
- vaccine equity
- harm reduction
- overdose prevention
- safe consumption
- syringe services
- stigma reduction
- evidence-based
- science-based
- peer-reviewed
- consensus science
- public-health guidance
- masking guidance
- mitigation strategies
- community spread
- endemic management
- mental-health parity
- stigma-free language
- person-first language
- survivor-centered
- victim-centered
- trauma-responsive
- culturally responsive
- equity lens
- inclusive procurement
- supplier diversity
- MWBE participation
- HUBZone preference
- pay equity
- gender pay gap
- living wage
- wage theft
- worker voice
- collective bargaining
- union density
- domestic workers’ rights
- caregiver burden
- childcare desert
- paid family leave
- parental leave
- period poverty
- menstrual equity
- Title IX protections
- campus climate
- safe reporting
- hate incidents
- hate crimes
- doxxing
- online harassment
- extremism prevention
- targeted violence prevention
- community-based prevention
- CVE (countering violent extremism)
- disinformation
- misinformation
- malinformation
- content moderation
- media literacy
- digital literacy
- civic literacy
- inclusive governance
- participatory budgeting
- historically underserved
- underrepresented groups
- marginalized communities
- vulnerable populations
- disadvantaged communities