Planetary scientists planning to attend a prominent conference may soon face a difficult choice: Censor mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from their work, or don’t present it at all.

The Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), hosted annually by the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Texas, last week announced a new requirement for the upcoming 2026 conference: All submitted abstracts must comply with executive orders from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. His 20 January, 2025 executive order called DEI “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” and terminated both federal DEI programs as well as grant funding for DEI initiatives.

Researchers are fuming, saying LPSC is doubling down on its previous decisions, and prioritizing avoiding trouble with the government over intellectual freedom. Asked for comment about the new abstract rules, USRA referred Science to a statement released after a June editorial called for boycotting LPSC.

Source https://www.science.org/content/article/censorship-conference-requires-abstracts-comply-trump-anti-dei-order

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