President Trump Redefines Federal Gender Policy on Day One
On his first day back in office, President Trump signed a series of executive orders, including one that significantly alters federal gender policies by redefining sex in federal law and eliminating recognition of gender identity.
The President ordered sweeping changes to federal gender policy that redefines sex in federal law, prioritizes biological classifications, and disbands programs supporting gender identity.
President Trump claims that replacing biological sex with gender identity creates confusion and undermines women’s protections, saying it deprives them of their “dignity, safety, and well-being.” He describes biological sex as an “immutable, scientifically grounded reality” while calling gender identity a “fluid and subjective concept that cannot replace sex.”
The executive order mandates all federal agencies to recognize only two sexes–male and female–as defined by reproductive roles at conception. This includes eliminating references to gender identity in documents, communications, and policies and replacing the term “gender” with “sex” in all official contexts.
Under the executive order, federal agencies have 30 days to align all laws, programs, and documents with this policy. That means:
Passports, visas, and personnel records will be revised to reflect only biological sex.
Policies supporting gender diversity or inclusivity will be eliminated.
Federal funds can no longer support gender-affirming healthcare or educational programs promoting gender ideology.
And spaces like bathrooms or locker rooms will now be restricted to biological sex, not gender identity.
In accordance with the mandate, anyone acting in an official government capacity must now take “all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology.”
The administration is framing these changes as a win for women’s rights, but critics and LGBTQ+ advocates are deeply concerned. Many fear these policies will have devastating effects on non-binary and transgender communities.
Jennifer C. Pizer, the chief legal officer at Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization that litigates on behalf of LGBTQ Americans, told NBC News that she expects her organization and others to sue the administration over the executive actions.
Pizer told NBC, "The president can't, with a wave of a pen, change the reality of who people are and the fact that we as a community of people exist. We have equal protection rights, just like anybody else does.”
The rollback of policies requires all federal agencies to rescind all documents inconsistent with the order's requirements, including “The White House Toolkit on Transgender Equality,” Title 9 Regulations, and U.S. Department of Education Resources. Some of these resources include Creating Inclusive and Nondiscriminatory School Environments for LGBTQI+ Students, Supporting LGBTQI+ Youth and Families in School, and Confronting Anti-LGBTQI+ Harassment in Schools.l
Within hours of taking office, Trump signed nearly 50 presidential actions, including renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented and temporary immigrants.
According to the Office of the Federal Register, this is only the fourth time since 1937 that a president has signed executive orders on their first day in office.
And it’s just the beginning. Trump told GOP senators earlier this month he plans to issue 100 executive orders—and it seems he’s well on his way.
