President Donald Trump will sign executive orders on Monday rolling back protections for transgender people and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government in what he described in his inaugural address as a move to end efforts to “socially integrate race and gender into all aspects of public and private life.”
These two changes constitute major changes for federal policy and are part of Trump’s campaign promises.
A decree would declare that the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female.
The definition will be based on whether people are born with eggs or sperm, rather than their chromosomes. This change is presented as a way to protect women from “gender extremism”.
An official in his administration said that would mean the government would no longer recognize Transgender Day of Visibility, which fell on Easter in 2024.
Under the order, federal prisons and shelters for migrants and rape victims would be segregated by sex, as defined by the order.
And federal taxpayer dollars could not be used to fund “transition services.” A small number of federal prison inmates have undergone gender-affirming surgery, and larger numbers have received treatments such as hormone therapy funded by federal funds.
Medicaid in some states covers these treatments, but judges suspend Biden administration rule this would have expanded this nationally.
The order would also block requirements at government facilities and workplaces that transgender people be referred to using pronouns corresponding to their gender. Trump’s team claims these demands violate the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and religion.
The order does not appear to issue a national mandate on which bathrooms transgender people can use or which athletic competitions they can participate in, although many states have passed laws in these areas.
Civil rights groups were preparing to challenge Trump’s orders in court before he took office.
“We’re going to persevere, we’re going to continue our work, and we’re going to continue to protect trans rights across the country,” Ash Orr, a spokesperson for Advocates for Trans Equality, said last week, anticipating such an order. .
A separate order seeks to end federal agency DEI programs. Conservatives have long condemned them, arguing that they violate the Constitution by using preferences based on race, gender and sexual orientation. Trump was cheered at a rally in Washington on Sunday when he announced he would end DEI requirements on the military and schools. However, the order does not appear to address what schools do.
Trump officials said it was fitting that the order was delivered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day because it aims to return to the idea that one day all Americans can be treated on the basis of their character and not according to the color of their skin.
Trump referred to it Monday in his inauguration speech, saying: “We will work together to make his dream a reality.” We will make his dream come true. He later added: “We will forge a colorblind, merit-based society. »
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said Trump’s policies are a step backwards. “Dr. King had a dream, and this is his nightmare: the rollback of the work of our civil and human rights coalition over the past 75 years,” she said in a statement.
The goal of DEI plans was to foster equitable environments in businesses and schools, particularly for historically marginalized communities. While researchers say DEI initiatives date back to the 1960s, others were launched and expanded in 2020 amid growing calls for racial justice.
Companies, including Walmart, McDonald’sAnd Metahave already renounced their diversity policies since the 2024 elections.
