(ZENIT News / Washington, 02.14.2025).- Google Calendar has removed automatic listings for Pride Month, Black History Month, and other cultural heritage observances from its web and mobile apps, now displaying only federal holidays and national celebrations by default. The decision, which went into effect in mid-2024, has sparked speculation about potential political motivations, given similar actions taken by federal agencies under the Trump administration. However, Google insists the change was purely logistical.
A spokesperson for Google clarified that the company has long relied on timeanddate.com to provide holiday data for Google Calendar. In recent years, Google manually added various cultural and commemorative dates for different countries, but maintaining such an extensive and ever-expanding list became unsustainable.
“We received feedback that many important events were missing, and manually maintaining hundreds of observances globally was neither scalable nor consistent,” the spokesperson said. “For that reason, in mid-2024, we returned to showing only national holidays and celebrations sourced from timeanddate.com, while allowing users to manually add other important moments.”
Previously, users would see events like the start of Pride Month on June 1 appear automatically in their calendars. Other now-removed observances include Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous Peoples’ Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Teacher Appreciation Day.
Despite these removals, the spokesperson emphasized that Google remains committed to recognizing cultural and historical events through other products and platforms. They specifically pointed to ongoing promotions for Black History Month and Lunar New Year.
Federal holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July remain visible by default for U.S. users, as do widely recognized secular celebrations like Halloween and New Year’s Eve.
The update does not prevent users from adding their own preferred events. Google noted that Calendar’s customization options allow users to select which categories of holidays they wish to display, including religious or cultural observances.
The decision to streamline Google Calendar’s event listings coincides with other significant updates across Google’s services and changes within the federal government.
This week, users in the United States noticed that Google Maps had changed the labeling of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” reflecting a renaming directive issued by former President Donald Trump. In contrast, Mexican users still see the traditional name, while international users see both designations. Google explained the update by citing its long-standing practice of aligning geographic names with official government sources.
The shift in Google Calendar also mirrors broader federal policies under the Trump administration. In late January, the Department of Defense’s intelligence agency halted all observances of Pride Month and other heritage celebrations following Trump’s executive order dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government. The State Department implemented a new policy barring U.S. embassies from flying the Pride flag or any other ideological banners, allowing only the American flag. Additionally, the Department of Justice disbanded its Pride office.
While Google maintains that its Calendar update was motivated by efficiency rather than ideology, its timing and alignment with federal changes have fueled debate. Whether seen as a neutral streamlining effort or a subtle cultural shift, the update reflects an evolving landscape in how institutions—both private and public—handle identity-based observances.
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