Trump’s War on The LGBTQ+ Community: A Look at the Impact and Consequences

On January 20th, Trump officially took office as the 47th President of America. The man hit the ground running, undoing years of hard work and activism with just one pen stroke. As per his campaign pledges, Trump prioritized fulfilling his promises to roll back most of the policies implemented by the Biden administration. The Biden administration put most of these policies into effect to promote diversity and equality throughout the federal government.

What Did Trump Do? 

In his inaugural address, Trump declared that “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.” As Trump has stated before in his campaign trails, he aims to eradicate “gender ideology”

Shortly after his inauguration, Trump issued an executive order titled ‘Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government’.The executive order decrees that the federal government will recognize only two biological sexes, male and female, assigned at birth.  

Executive orders also require federal agencies to replace the term “gender” with “sex” in all official documents. In addition, government-issued identification documents (like passports, visas, and Global Entry cards) should indicate the gender assigned at birth. This executive order seeks to delegitimize transgender and non-binary identities.

The order also gives the Attorney General the authority to instruct federal agencies to reverse any policies that permit access to single-sex areas based on gender identity. Consequently, federal prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities will be segregated by sex, as per the directive.

The executive order also nullifies a slew of Biden-era guidance documents. The order touches on the 2024 EEOC workplace harassment guidance, which was implemented to protect LGBTQ+ from workplace and sexual harassment.

Given that most of the things on this new executive order counter most of the past Supreme Court rulings, we might see lots of frequent litigation to clarify some of these new policies, such as bathroom access.

The following day, Trump named Lucas, a vocal critic of DEI and Biden’s policies, as the interim head of the EEOC Commission. She has been vocal about where she stands in controversial matters like gender-affirming bathroom access and the April 2024 PWFA rules. She is most likely waiting for the Republicans to assume control in 2026 so she can rescind the PWFA rules.

What do Trump’s Actions Mean? 

Trump’s actions curtail LGBTQ and Equality protections. In other words, it exposes the minority groups in America and leaves them open to all sorts of discrimination. Trump revoked Joe Biden’s 78 executive orders. Biden initially implemented many of these executive orders to support racial equity and combat discrimination against gay and transgender people.

What makes it worse is that this was only his first day in office. He has four years to change more policies. Who knows which minority group he will target next? The future of other LGBTQ+ rights is unclear under the new Trump administration.

The latest move by Trump has also caused confusion since there are conflicting laws that apply to the same space. For example, in colleges and universities, it is unclear what the immediate implications are for LGBTQ+ students. In particular, the new executive order complicates institutions’ efforts to accommodate transgender students. In some states, the new executive order goes against the various state laws put in place to protect LGBTQ+ students. There will need to be more clarity on how these laws will be implemented.

What can the American LGBTQ+ Community Do?  

The LGBTQ+ community is not going down without a fight. Many activists have come out to criticize Trump’s actions. Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, released a statement condemning Trump’s actions, calling them intimidation. In her statement, she said, “We refuse to back down or be intimidated. We are not going anywhere, and we will fight back against these harmful provisions with everything we’ve got.”

Many corporations are scaling back DEI initiatives, but some companies are choosing to maintain their commitment to DEI. In recent years, DEI has become a highly contentious and polarizing issue, and it will be intriguing to observe how this situation unfolds.

The community is also rallying behind the transgenders, who have been hit the hardest by Trump’s new orders. In recent years, transgender rights have become a contentious political topic. Trump vowed to reverse most of the protection rights and laws safeguarding the trans-community. Many activists have come out to criticize Trump’s effort to erase the community.

Many lawyers and legal experts are offering their advice on how to protect the rights that are still in place following Trump’s inauguration. Other national organizations, such as Lambda Legal, have announced their intention to contest Trump’s decision in court. Other advocacy groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, are offering help and support.