Trump-era DEI ban triggers Pentagon to delete historic WWII photo of 'gay' plane: Here’s why

To eliminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content from military platforms, the Pentagon has reportedly marked several images for removal simply because they contain the word “gay,” regardless of context.

One such image, as reported by the Associated Press, is a historic photograph of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945. The image features pilot Col. Paul Tibbets Jr. standing in front of the aircraft, which was named after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.

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Another flagged image is a headshot of Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. A.C. Gay. Additionally, photos of Army Corps of Engineers workers, including one individual with the surname Gay, have also been marked for possible deletion.

According to the AP, a total of 26,000 images have been flagged so far, though an official stated that the number could rise to 100,000 once social media posts and other websites are taken into account. The official also noted that it is unclear whether the database of flagged images is final.

Much of the material subject to removal under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive includes content celebrating military contributions from women and minority groups.

Hegseth had given the military until Wednesday to erase content related to diversity initiatives, following President Donald Trump’s executive order terminating such programmes across the federal government.

The Pentagon’s broad approach mirrors a recent incident involving the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In an attempt to eliminate DEI-related references from its manuals, the Trump administration also inadvertently removed unrelated terms, such as references to the “inclusion” of a taxpayer’s identification number on a form.

(With inputs from agencies)