Trump's executive orders on trans community does not protect women He wants to erase transgender and non-binary people, but also diversity, equality and inclusion
Donald Trump aims to reshape the United States through a series of executive orders. In the first hours following his inauguration, he signed a record number of measures, wielding executive power without going through Congress. Nearly one hundred orders address topics ranging from immigration to climate policy, all aligned with his campaign promises: declaring a national emergency and deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, overturning the 14th Amendment to end birthright citizenship, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, lifting the TikTok ban, pardoning the Capitol Hill rioters, announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, with more decisions expected in the coming days. Among these executive orders, one radical directive denies the existence of transgender and non-binary people, titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.
Donald Trump’s Long Anti-Trans Crusade
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly condemned any recognition of gender diversity, targeting transgender individuals in particular. "As soon as I’m elected" Trump declared in March. "I will sign a new executive order cutting federal funding to any school that promotes critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content for our children." On December 22, speaking to young Republicans in Phoenix, he reiterated his intention to end "the transgender lunacy" by signing orders to ban genital mutilations in children and exclude transgender people from the military and schools. And he followed through.
What Trump’s Executive Order on Transgender and Non-Binary People Entails
"From this day forward, the official policy of the United States government will be that there are only two genders, male and female. These sexes are immutable and grounded in fundamental, indisputable reality" the president declared during his inaugural address. Echoing the beliefs of many trans-exclusionary conservative thinkers, Trump made it clear that he recognizes only biological sex, determined at conception by chromosomes, internal and external genitalia, and secondary sexual characteristics, dismissing all other nuances of gender identity, including transgender, non-binary, and intersex individuals.
What Changes for the LGBTQIA+ Community with Trump’s New Executive Orders?
During his term, President Biden signed an executive order protecting transgender students, lifted the ban on transgender people serving in the military, threatened sanctions against countries suppressing transgender rights, and introduced the "X" option on passports and administrative forms in 2021, providing a more inclusive option for those who do not identify within the traditional male or female gender framework. In just one day at the White House, Trump reversed much of his predecessor’s efforts to officially recognize non-binary gender identities. Trump’s anti-transgender agenda began with an order directing all federal agencies to rewrite their rules and documents: "Agencies will stop pretending that men can be women and women can be men when applying laws protecting against sex discrimination" the order states. Practically, this means that personal documents such as IDs, certificates, licenses, and passports will only list male or female gender. Eliminating all references to gender identities other than an individual’s sex assigned at birth will have immediate consequences in schools, workplaces, and shelters, which will no longer be required to protect transgender or non-binary individuals' identities. For example, transgender women will be placed in male prisons, disregarding safety concerns. Additionally, Trump has banned federal funding for any institution, initiative, or medical research supporting transgender identities.
Trump Opposes Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion
In recent years, schools and businesses across the United States have implemented policies aimed at supporting women and racial minorities, categorized under "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI). Trump has decided to dismantle these efforts with an executive order that bans federal funding for any institution with DEI programs, labeling them a waste of resources. "This week, I will also put an end to the government policy of socially engineering race and gender into every aspect of public and private life" Trump declared during his inaugural speech, adding: "We will forge a colorblind, merit-based society." In practice, dismantling these programs directly targets every minority and marginalized community. Several major U.S. companies, including Meta, McDonald’s, Amazon, and Walmart, have already started pulling back on such initiatives, marking a dangerous shift toward a more masculine and homophobic direction.
No, Trump’s Policies Do Not Support Women
Trump introduced his new anti-trans regulations under the guise of protecting and supporting women’s rights. The new U.S. president describes gender identities beyond male and female as "attempts to eradicate the biological reality of sex" claiming that this ultimately harms women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, and well-being. According to Trump, "the erasure of gender in language and policy has a corrosive impact not only on women but also on the stability of the entire American system." These statements are not only baseless and fuel hateful rhetoric, but they have nothing to do with protecting women or their rights. Trump’s worldview, shared by the Republican Party and other conservative movements worldwide, vehemently opposes "woke" culture and hides behind a false feminism to roll back human rights that should be inviolable. Denying the existence of millions of people or cutting federal funding for initiatives that promote equity is part of a broader agenda rooted in homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism. This is not limited to the United States—it is spreading rapidly across Europe as well. Some already predict that Trump’s next actions will include further restrictions on women’s rights and control over their bodies. Reports suggest he plans to reinstate the so-called "Mexico City Policy", which prohibits foreign NGOs that perform, promote, or provide information about abortion services from receiving U.S. funding. Such actions are hardly surprising from a man notorious for his crude, vulgar remarks about women, who has also faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse.
