Donald Trump Erases Transgender Identity
order, the U.S. government will no longer recognize transgender identity as valid.Instead, it will recognize only two sexes, male and female, which Trump has declared “not changeable” and “grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”The order defines “male” and “female” according to biological characteristics and a person’s ability to reproduce.Females are defined as those who, “at conception,” are biologically capable of producing “the large reproductive cell,” or eggs.
Males defined as those who, “at conception,” are biologically capable of producing “the small reproductive cell,” or sperm.The order also declares that the government will only recognize biological females as “women” and “girls,” and biological males as “men” and “boys.”The order has a number of real-life ramifications for transgender individuals and federal agencies:All federal agencies are expected to submit proof within the next 120 days showing that they have rescinded Biden-era policies and guidance, and have replaced them with guidance or policies that no longer recognize gender identity as legitimate.LGBTQ groups balked at Trump’s order, which effectively erases transgender people from law by deadnaming them or forcing them to identify by their assigned sex at birth.
Outright International, a pro-LGBTQ advocacy group, condemned the order as a “blatant attack on transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals,” warning that the new restrictions would compromise trans individuals’ safety and place them at risk of violence or discrimination.“People outside of the binary genders have existed in cultures around the world for thousands of years, including among many Indigenous American communities,” Maria Sjödin, the executive director of Outright International, said in a statement.
