Letitia James Issues Direct Challenge to Donald Trump
Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday rolling back protections for transgender people."President Trump can try to attack the transgender and nonbinary communities with directives and orders, but in New York, you have the right to be who you are," James, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday night. "I'll always protect that right."Newsweek reached out to James' office and the White House via email for comment.Signing an executive order on his first day in office that rolls back transgender rights indicates the importance of the issue to Trump's agenda during his second term.The order could have wide-reaching implications for transgender people, including their access to gender-affirming care and their ability to obtain identification documents that reflect their gender identity.Trump's executive order, which has been billed as a way to protect women from "gender ideology extremism," declared that the federal government would recognize only two sexes: male and female."These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality," the order said.As a result, only those two sexes will be recognized on government-issued identification documents, such as passports and visas.The order also requires federal prisons and detention centers to be segregated by sex as defined by the order and that agencies ensure "intimate spaces designated for women, girls, or females (or for men, boys, or males) are designated by sex and not identity."The order also says that federal funds cannot be used to fund "any medical procedure, treatment or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex."Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson, in a statement: "The incoming administration is trying to divide our communities in the hope that we forget what makes us strong.
But we refuse to back down or be intimidated."We are not going anywhere. And we will fight back against these harmful provisions.
