January 31, 2024/Midnight
Erie, Pa.–On January 20, Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump signed executive orders to redefine gender policy in the U.S government.
After being sworn in, President Trump implemented several policies to “Make America Great Again,” one of the most notable being the decision to restructure the gender classification system in U.S., which will now only recognize two sexes: male and female.
This classification is based on the biological sex assigned at birth. Immediately after the announcement, the new executive order requires that federal agencies “shall implement changes to require that government–issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex.”
This has reversed the policies of the Biden administration. Since April 2022 on U.S passports, citizens who are non–binary, intersex, and gender–nonconforming can choose the gender–neutral “X”, according to NBC News. At that time, it was a big step for the LGBTQ community, with the government supporting and acknowledging those who identified outside of the male or female identity. The Biden Administration also ensured that people who identified as LGBTQ have healthcare protections, and that no healthcare providers can deny services based on gender identity.
Another executive order eliminates federal “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) programs. The order states that DEI is a “radicial and wasteful” program.
The DEI program aims to create an equal environment in workplaces and schools, specifically small targeting groups of vulnerable and disadvantaged persons. Although this program was put in place years ago, some have argued that it has not brought about significant changes. In 2020, this program become popular again due to concerns about increases in racial and gender discrimination. The Biden Administration has expanded and developed DEI to bring back opportunities for different communities.
However, the federal DEI programs have faced a lot of criticism, by those who argue it has been misused and that it leads to many other issues.
Another order, according to the Associated Press, dealt with new rules that the Biden Administration added to Title IX, which strived to eliminate any sort of gender discrimination, and allowed many colleges to expand the rights of transgender students who compete in college sporting events. Many people have argued that allowing transgender athletes to compete creates a huge injustice for athletes assigned female at birth. Some argue that physical health and abilities between men and women are completely different, and regardless if an athlete makes a medical transition or not, they cannot fully change their natural strength.
President Trump has started to implement his campaign promises, and among the many promises he made to voters during his campaign, he has begun implementing what his administration defines as, “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”
