Google has quietly removed several cultural observances, including Pride Month, Black History Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day, from its default holiday list on Google Calendar. The move, which was first reported by The Verge, has triggered widespread criticism, with many users accusing the tech giant of downplaying historically significant events.

What Changed?

Previously, Google Calendar included a range of cultural observances, such as:

  • February 1: Black History Month
  • March 1: Women’s History Month
  • June 1: Pride Month
  • November 1: Indigenous Peoples’ Month

Other observances like Hispanic Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day

However, starting in 2025, these events no longer appear in the platform’s default settings. Instead, Google now only displays public holidays and national observances, sourced from timeanddate.com, a longtime data provider.

Why Did Google Make the Change?

According to Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld, the decision was based on scalability concerns.

“Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world. We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable,” Veld told The Verge.

Google now encourages users to manually add cultural observances to their personal calendars if they wish to continue tracking these dates.

User’s Backlash

The change has sparked an uproar among Google Calendar users, many of whom took to social media and Google’s support forums to express their disappointment. Some critics accused Google of catering to rightwing political pressure, especially given the broader rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the U.S. tech industry.

One user wrote on a Google support forum, “Embarrassing.”

Another example of the fast descent into fascism. There’s no reason users should have to add these dates themselves.”

Another comment read, “Dear Google. Stop sucking up to Trump.”

The decision also comes amid growing concerns over LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality, especially following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order in January 2025 dismantling federal DEI programs. Since then, several major corporations, including Meta, Walmart, Target, and McDonald’s, have either scaled back or eliminated their diversity initiatives.

Adding fuel to the controversy, Google has faced criticism for its political donations. The company contributed $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration, and its CEO, Sundar Pichai, attended the ceremony. Critics argue that Google’s recent moves align with broader conservative efforts to deprioritize diversity and inclusion efforts.

Additionally, Google has made other controversial updates following Trump’s executive orders. In late January, the company announced it would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in Google Maps, sparking further backlash.

Google has not indicated whether it plans to restore the removed observances. Users who wish to continue tracking events like Pride Month, Black History Month, and Indigenous Peoples’ Month must manually add them to their Google Calendars.

ALSO READ: iPhone SE 4 To Launch Today? Here’s What To Expect