‘A direct assault on LGBTQ+ Americans’: Trump’s ‘cruel’ anti-trans executive order condemned

Queer groups and charities have condemned Donald Trump’s anti-trans executive order, branding it a “direct assault on LGBTQ+ Americans”. 

Trump began his second term in the White House by signing a number of executive orders, including an anti-trans measure proclaiming that the US will recognise only “male” and “female” and that these are “unchangeable”, Reuters reported.

During his inaugural address on Monday (20 January), Trump said there were only two genders, adding that he will end “the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life”.

‘A direct assault on LGBTQ+ Americans’

Jeremy Comeau, the president of the National Federation of Stonewall Democrats, said: “These actions and words are a direct assault on LGBTQ+ Americans. Leadership should unite, not erase, us. We deserve better.

“Trump’s declaration is not just rhetoric, it’s a rallying cry for policies that will harm millions of Americans.”

‘America doesn’t need more Christian Nationalism’

Meanwhile, the president and chief executive of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Richard Laser, claimed that Trump’s inauguration featured Christian nationalism.

“In this country, ‘we the people’ choose our leaders, and our leaders are answerable to us,” he said. “When those leaders abuse their power, to impose one narrow religious belief on us all, about gender or abortion or anything else, they are trampling our founding principles.” 

The anti-trans executive order would “impose a narrow Christian Nationalist view of gender”, he added.

“All Americans deserve to live according to our beliefs and identities so long as we are not hurting others, and that includes our gender-non-conforming and transgender children, co-workers, friends and neighbours. America doesn’t need more Christian Nationalism, we need a national recommitment to keep Church and state separate.

“Our freedoms, equality and democracy depend on it.”

‘It’s cruel and it is wrong’

Ricardo Martinez, an executive director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), called the order a “direct attack on transgender Americans” that deliberately makes it “harder for people to live their every-day lives”. 

He went on to say: “It is cruel and it is wrong. The administration is trying to create fear and sow chaos by its statements and orders but no executive action can change the fundamental truth that transgender people are vital members of our families and communities. 

“A president’s powers are not unlimited. The constitution, federal courts and our democratic system serve as a bulwark against government overreach. The implementation of today’s order and others that may follow, cannot happen overnight. 

“GLAD Law will use every tool we have to fight for LGBTQ+ people’s rights and for fairness and dignity. We will defend the fundamental principle that equal protection under the law is guaranteed, without exception.”

‘We will not back down’

And the chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Joe Hollendoner, described Trump’s presidency as an “affront to everything [civil rights leader Martin Luther] King stood for”.

Trump’s inauguration coincided with Martin Luther King Jr Day.

Hollendoner emphasised that the centre would “never close to any member of the LGBTQ+ community” in need of its care, and would “fight to protect federal funding for Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, HIV services and LGBT-specific intimate-partner violence programmes, despite scare tactics by members of the Trump administration to cut these services”. 

He continued: “The centre has always been a beacon of hope in times of crisis, and, today, we affirm that our commitment is stronger than ever. We will not back down, our resolve is clear. We will fight for justice, equality and the dignity of all queer and trans people, regardless of who occupies the White House.” 

‘Trump does not have the power to erase LGBTQ+ people’

Equality California executive director Tony Hoang also voiced his opposition to the new administration, condemning “prioritising divisive politics over addressing issues that matter to most every-day Americans”, adding: “President Trump does not have the power to erase LGBTQ+ people or deny them the right to exist freely and safely.

“These reported executive actions will take time to be implemented administratively and legally, and may never be fully realised. We stand unwavering, ready to fight alongside our partners against any unjust and harmful action this administration may take toward our community.”

‘Young people will be harmed’

Senior director of state advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project Janson Wu was another to speak out.

“Targeting the transgender and non-binary community on day one will cause harm, especially for young people,” he said and urged elected officials and the media to “understand the dangers that anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric pose for LGBTQ+ youth across the country”. 

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