BROOKLYN — PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SIGNED an executive order Monday reversing federal protections for transgender individuals. Panning “gender ideology” as extremist, he ordered all federal agencies to change personnel records and government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, to “accurately reflect the holder’s sex,” described in the order as binary and immutable, rather than their gender, generally acknowledged by experts to be more complex.
In his order, Trump defined “female” as the sex producing “the large reproductive cell,”or eggs, and “male” as the sex producing “the small reproductive cell,” or sperm. Allowing fluid gender identification was harmful to women, Trump claimed, in a bow to conservatives; the right of transgender girl players to play on girls’ sports teams was seen as a hot-button issue by conservatives during the president’s campaign. The measure could also have a broad impact on federally-funded schools, shelters, prisons and healthcare, along with the military and other federal agencies.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said the group — the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ organization — would fight the order, and enforcement is sure to be challenged in states like New York. In November, New York voters approved Proposition One, the state’s Equal Rights Amendment, which bars discrimination based on numerous factors including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.
✰✰✰
