One of the first programs frozen by the new Republican administration was funding for a transgender opera in Colombia, a $25,000 initiative launched during Joe Biden’s presidency. The project aimed to promote inclusion in the arts by increasing transgender representation through an operatic production featuring transgender performers.

“So, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia. That was a big one,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast in an interview with Daily Mail, one of the outlets that accessed USAID’s spending records. According to federal documents cited by the British publication, the Biden administration also funded a transgender comic book in Peru, which received $32,000 under former Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

USAID’s policy shift has also affected humanitarian aid, including the suspension of condom shipments and sexual health education materials to Gaza.

Previously, the agency supported these initiatives as part of a strategy to prevent sexually transmitted diseases in humanitarian crisis settings.

Another area heavily impacted by the new restrictions is funding for LGBT+ activists in countries where their rights are at risk, such as Serbia. Under Biden, USAID allocated resources to support organizations defending these communities, but the new administration argues that these funds should be redirected elsewhere.