Over the past few months, I’ve had conversations with people across different industries about the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. For some, it was just another corporate trend losing steam. One person told me they were relieved—no more professional development meetings pulling them away from their work.
I get that. I didn’t have a strong reaction either. My initial thought? Okay, society. You know better, so do better. You don’t need the government to hold your hand, right?
But then I started paying closer attention.
Companies that loudly proclaimed they wouldn’t scale back DEI were flooding social media with polished PR campaigns. You know the ones—photos and videos featuring a carefully curated mix of employees from different marginalized groups.
Well, almost every group.
One was conspicuously missing.
Physically disabled people.
Again.
I almost laughed, but not because it was funny—because it was so damn predictable. The one marginalized group that anyone can join at any moment? Left out.
Why?
So, I started asking questions. And let me tell you, my non-disabled friends? They had nothing. Just deer-in-the-headlights stares—confused, unsure, shrugging.
And that’s when it hit me.
Other marginalized groups? You’re either born into them or you’re not. Either you’re a person of color or you’re not. Either you’re LGBTQ+ or you’re not. But disability? That’s different. Disability has an open-door policy.
No one plans to be disabled. No one expects it. But life doesn’t always give you a choice. And that’s why this erasure stings.
But the rollback of DEI? That was just the beginning. The real fight was happening somewhere else.
The Real Concern: Section 504 and the Lawsuit No One’s Talking About
While the DEI conversation dominated headlines, what really caught my attention was something far bigger: 17 state attorneys general suing to roll back Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Let’s be clear—Section 504 isn’t some corporate diversity initiative. It’s federal law. It’s been protecting disabled people’s rights since 1973, ensuring access to schools, workplaces, transportation, healthcare, and government programs without discrimination. Unlike DEI, this isn’t about learning to be politically correct. It’s about civil rights.
So why would these states want to gut it?
I started digging. And that’s when I realized—this fight wasn’t really about the disabled community at all.
It was about gender dysphoria.
Let’s pause here for a quick definition. Gender dysphoria is the distress a person experiences when their gender identity doesn’t align with the sex they were assigned at birth. The previous administration added protections for gender dysphoria under Section 504, ensuring that people facing discrimination based on gender identity had legal recourse.
And now? These 17 states are pushing to remove those protections.
But here’s the strategy: They’re not just targeting gender dysphoria. They’re putting all of Section 504 on the chopping block.
They know the disabled community will fight back. They’re counting on it. And when that pushback comes, they’ll act like they’re willing to “compromise.”
The real goal? Keep most of Section 504 in place—except for the protections tied to gender identity.
This isn’t new. It’s a negotiation tactic. A political game.
And the real question is: Will we, the disabled community, concede?
The Danger of Conceding
Now, whether you agree or disagree with Biden’s addition of gender dysphoria to Section 504 isn’t the point of this article.
The point is this: If we allow one group to be carved out of civil rights protections, what stops another group from being sacrificed next?
This is how it works. First, they go after one specific provision, hoping another marginalized group won’t fight too hard. Then, a few years down the line, they come for more. Because once a law has been successfully weakened, it’s easier to keep chipping away.
This is how rights are lost—not in one sweeping motion, but piece by piece.
And let’s be honest—if conservatives are willing to gamble with our civil rights now, what’s stopping them from going even further later?
What happens when disability protections are next? When businesses and institutions realize they can push back against accommodations they once accepted as law?
And more importantly—are we willing to let them?
What Now?
I don’t have all the answers. But I know one thing: We need to have this conversation.
We need to ask ourselves whether we’re okay with letting lawmakers decide whose rights are worth keeping and whose rights can be negotiated away. We need to pay attention to what’s happening with Section 504—because this lawsuit isn’t just about gender dysphoria.
It’s about setting a precedent.
And once that precedent is set, who’s next?
So, what do you think?
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