President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation declaring the month of March to be recognized and celebrated as Women’s History Month. In the same act of putting pen to paper, Trump made the decision to not only draw attention to discussing women’s history, but to condemn the existence and rights of all Transgender people.
While U.S. president’s have been celebrating this month since the Carter administration had it established in 1981, the Trump White House has chosen to not only stake a claim in women’s accomplishments by pointing out their administrations female hires, but are choosing to couple the celebration with an opportunity to attack a group of people that makes up less than one percent of the U.S. population.
“No longer will our Government promote radical ideologies that replace women with men in spaces and opportunities designed for women, or devastate families by indoctrinating our sons and daughters to begin a war with their own bodies,” the proclamation reads.
It continues, “Instead, my Administration will safeguard the great American values of family, truth, well-being, and freedom.”
The administration’s decision to turn a celebratory month for the broader population of women into a righteous pulpit to bring negative public attention to the trans community has been claimed by Trump as an issue that nearly 80 percent of Americans are supportive of.
It’s a claim that has been made on the White House website by Trump despite not having any- credible sources to back it up.
Trump’s efforts to diminish the existence of Trans people isn’t a new concept for his administration. This proclamation has come on the back of several executive orders directly
othering transgender Americans.
This barrage of attacks by executive order began immediately on Inauguration Day.
On day one, Trump signed an order declaring his Federal government will only identify two sexes, female and male, on official documents such as passports. Meaning any U.S. passport with “X” in place of a specific gender will no longer be issued bringing uncertainty to any transgender American of whether they will be allowed to travel freely and without risk of retaliation.
It is a decision that has acted as Pandora’s Box, opening up a flurry of other orders creating disruption for transgender lives.
Transgender military service members were some of the first to take an executive hit with newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Peter Hegseth, put in place to carry out any and all orders the President demands.
Hegseth is standing firmly behind the move to ban all current serving trans military members and those wanting to serve. This includes the halting and preventing of any procedures that support gender transitions. A Presidential action titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.”
It’s a complete reversal of what former President Biden’s administration initially strove to do- protecting transgender rights before exiting office. Although pushback from several LGBTQIIA+ advocates has drawn attention to the shortcomings of those promises.
Biden’s decision to sign the annual defense bill into law left transgender children of service members without coverage for their specific medical needs. By leaving this area unprotected, an opening for the president-elect’s admin to further strip back trans service members rights was left, eventually leading to Hegseth’s orders to pause all medical procedures for all trans members serving.
“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for service members are paused,” Hegseth declared.
It’s been estimated by the Department of Defense that about 4,200 active-duty service members are transgender which equates to approximately 0.2 percent of the military.
The most vulnerable group being attacked from all angles by the Trump administration is the transgender youth, which is an even smaller fraction of individuals.
The orders Trump has signed vary from banning schools from using students’ preferred pronouns to requiring academic staff address each student by their birth given name prior to the students decision to transition. An act referred to as “deadnaming,” and according to many psychologists it is incredibly harmful and can lead to chronic stress, depression, and even result in suicide for those who experience it.
Another issue being pushed by Trump’s admin is that K-12 schools will be monitored for any promotion of gender ideological equity and for those who do not abide, will face the consequences threatened of having funding stripped and removed from their particular school.
It’s been newly elected Congresswoman- Rep. Sarah McBride- (D-Del)- the first openly transgender woman elected to congress, who has spoken outwardly against the policies and the various orders the administration is putting forth sounding off alarms and providing a semblance of hope for all those who identify as transgender.
“As much as this president seeks to protest to the contrary, he can’t, with a single stroke of his pen, undo Supreme Court precedent or undo the Constitution,” McBride continues adding that the Supreme Court, “made clear that LGBTQ people are protected under federal civil rights laws, and an executive action can’t undo that Supreme Court precedent.”
The harsh reality for many transgender people is that President Trump’s administration’s anti-trans policies and rhetoric are having a profoundly negative effect on them and the callous language being casually used is turning into verbal threats and potential violence.
For any LGBTQIIA+ students who are struggling during this time and are seeking support and resources can reach out to Delta College’s Pride Center located on the second floor of Danner Hall in room 202B or reach out by phone (209)954-8349.
