U.S. President Donald Trump has spent his first 100 days in office unapologetically attacking diversity and attempting to eradicate gender ideology as a whole, rather than working towards better healthcare, gun control or the education system. Specifically targeting transgender people, Trump has signed five major executive orders that look to remove protections for trans people and eliminate them from the public. Whether someone is for or against anti-trans procedures, the question is, if they understand what they are advocating for.
Anti-trans supporters often claim that their reason for promoting these limitations is their concern on women’s protection. The Sex Discrimination executive order states that “efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety and well-being,” but this order does not protect all women, as it discriminates against trans women.
The order attempts to have the U.S. recognize only two sexes, male and female, claiming that those sexes are unchangeable. This directly affects trans people’s ability to have passports or federal identification documents with their own gender identity, along with where trans people are confined when in federal custody. Initially, the order stated that trans women under federal custody would be moved to men’s prisons. If the concern is protection, this order is not the answer. The executive branch claims that the goal is women’s safety, but if that were true it would not be enforcing orders, such as this one that strip women’s protections
The Sex Discrimination order calls to abolish gender ideology, and some Federal Agencies have already acted. Agencies have said that identity pronouns for employees will be removed from online profiles, stating that they would not allow the “X” gender marker. This “X” is widely accepted for people who want their gender unspecified or under another gender identity. Federal government websites have removed the term “gender” and replaced it with “sex.”
Gender ideology refers to the study of gender being on a spectrum and separate from one’s sex, allowing a person to self-assess their gender identity, rather than rely on biological sexes. Attempting to eliminate gender ideology negates transgender and non-binary people from the public. The federal government doesn’t just want to limit support of trans people, it wants to get rid of the idea entirely.
Over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in the beginning months of 2025 alone. The Gender Affirming Care for Young People executive order aims to shut down and halt the use of federal money for gender-affirming medical care for trans people under 19 years old. This includes the banning of puberty-blocking drugs, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries. Since Trump’s election, laws have been passed banning or limiting gender-affirming care for minors in 26 U.S. states.
From March 14 to March 21, 2025, a survey of 1,636 U.S. adults was conducted by Data for Progress, a research group that provides polls and data analysis. About 55% of Americans felt that families and physicians should be making decisions about transgender youth medical care, rather than the government. The survey also found that fewer than one in three Americans know someone who is transgender, which leaves people to wonder if politicians are informed enough to make fair policies concerning the rights of transgender people. Some believe those who identify as transgender need access to psychiatric help, but disagree that trans minors should have access to treatments with life-long effects. Many politicians are not educated enough on the topic since they are not learning from doctors or psychologists.
Besides medical care, transgender minors’ rights in schools are at risk. The School Censorship order calls on schools and teachers to withdraw their support for transgender students. It aims to limit or ban schools from allowing students to use bathrooms, names, and/or pronouns that match their gender identity. The executive order, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” states, “parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies.” Anti-american ideologies is a broad term, but calling a population of people “anti-American” seems unpatriotic in itself. This leaves people with the idea that simply existing can now be deemed as anti-American.
Among the others, the Anti-Trans Sports and the Anti Trans Military executive orders, show that Trump is a hypocrite. Almost all of these executive orders claim the purpose is to protect personal identity and family unity, but taking away a person’s right to their chosen gender identity does not unify anyone or protect them. Protecting personal identity does not come from telling people that being who they are is unacceptable and wrong.
Targeting the rights of transgender people doesn’t just threaten and impact trans individuals and their families, it sends a message to the entire country. Trump is aiming to erase trans people from the U.S. through his executive orders. These orders cannot and should not be taken lightly, but many won’t stand up against discrimination unless they are the ones being discriminated against; don’t be that person. The trans community is the main group of people being targeted, but if these executive orders are implemented, who is stopping him from doing the same thing to another minority?
