Masculin Féminin

Trump's executive order to recognise only two sexes-male and female-has triggered a tragic dilemma of revealing less and concealing more

- Ronki Ram

During his first term as president, Donald Trump implemented several policies that were seen as hostile to the LGBTQ+ community Some notable examples included a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, citing concerns about military readiness and unit cohesion, rolling back several protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, including guidance on transgender students' rights and protection for LGBTQ+ workers. The Trump administration consistently opposed LGBTQ+ rights, including opposing the Equality Act, which aimed to provide federal protection for LGBTQ+ individuals. Such draconian measures undertaken by the Trump administration were widely criticised by LGBTQ+ advocates and human rights activists and organisations.

It has become worse. Since the beginning of his second term in 2025, Trump has launched a brutal and a well-planned onslaught on transgender and non-binary people. Some of his meticulously calculated executive orders like 'Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation', issued on January 28, 2025, and 'Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government', issued on January 20, 2025, were designed to humiliate, demonise and expunge transgender and non-binary people from public life. Nothing short of an act of state violence, such harsh measures are alleged to increase the chances of violence and suicide among young people.