Fox News reported that the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., has emphasized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), gender equity, and climate change in its programming. That scrutiny overlaps with a separate claim that the zoo closed its Office of Diversity in January 2025 following an executive order by President Donald Trump to cut federal DEI programs. Both points come from the source material and require independent verification.
What the zoo and its staff have published
In a 2021 Smithsonian National Zoo article titled “Why a Group of Zoo and Aquarium Professionals Wants to Ensure the Future of Their Field Is More Inclusive,” curator Craig Saffoe wrote about underrepresentation in the field. “As the curator of large carnivores at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and a black man in the zoo field, I have long been keenly aware of the dearth of black and brown faces in my chosen field,” Saffoe wrote, adding that he decided to “stop talking about it, and be about it.”
Another 2021 zoo article, “Connecting Ocean Conservation from Sea to Sky,” quoted seabird ecologist Autumn-Lynn Harrison and coral biologist Mary Hagedorn: “Gender equity, civil liberties and justice are necessary ingredients for peace and prosperity, but they also have a direct impact on resource use and climate change.”
Events and outside partners
The zoo hosts an annual “International Family Equality Day” to “conduct outreach to the LGBTQ community,” according to the source text. In 2024, partners for the event included the DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, Rainbow Families, and the Smithsonian Pride Alliance. The event featured “rainbow-themed animal enrichment and treats, including colorful ice cakes, for animals throughout the park,” per the source. The same source claims “some” referred to the event as “Gay Day at the Zoo,” without naming who used that label.
Professional associations and stated positions
The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The AZA’s website states it embeds DEI in its work, and in 2020 the AZA wrote that “systemic racism is embedded in our structures, culture and organizations, and we are committed to positive and sustained change that dismantles these barriers.”
The Smithsonian is also described as a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN has stated that historic and recurring patterns of gender-based discrimination and violence demand attention and corrective action, including with respect to women environmental defenders, according to the source text.
Criticism and competing frames
Gabriella Hoffman, director of the Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy and Conservation, argued that civic institutions should be free from ideology. “The Smithsonian Zoo should be an escape from politics, not an extension of it. Americans want a refuge from socio-political lectures and guilt-trips,” she told The Washington Stand. Hoffman also said, “Conservation is inherently welcoming to all,” and warned that “divisive alphabet initiatives will incur more harm than good.”
Federal backdrop and Smithsonian response
The source text asserts that in January 2025 the Smithsonian Zoo shut down its Office of Diversity after a Trump executive order to cut all federal DEI programs. It further states that on July 4, the White House’s Domestic Policy Council released a report, “Saving America’s Story,” that criticized diversity, equity, and inclusion content in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History educational materials, describing the museum as a “site for social action” with youth conferences exploring “gender equality” and “teen resistance to systemic racism.”
According to ABC News, a Smithsonian spokesperson responded at the time: “For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so.” The spokesperson also said the museum “remains committed to impartial learning.”
