All of Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders so far and what they could mean for you
Donald Trump has signed numerous anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Since being sworn-in as the 47th president of the United States on 20 January, Donald Trump has enacted a series of anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders, many of which specifically target the trans community.
From immigration to the military, and climate change to government spending, Trump has signed dozens of executive orders to undo the work of the previous administration and bring his campaign promises into reality.
Among the orders, Trump has declared the official policy of the United States is that there are “only two sexes”, banned trans people from serving in the military and restricted gender-affirming healthcare for trans people under the age 19, as well as eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes across the government and in the armed services.
Trump’s pointed attacks on the community have been criticised by LGBTQ+ and human rights groups within America and around the world.
Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of GLAAD, responded by saying: “Our nation is fighting food and gas prices, wildfires that have killed dozens and left thousands displaced, and an epidemic of gun violence, yet President Trump is hyper-fixated only on harming LGBTQ Americans and other marginalised communities.
“Within hours of his swearing-in, he has marked his agenda of perpetuating fear and misunderstanding instead of addressing the actual problems Americans face.
“This administration seeks to intimidate us and to divide Americans but we have power in community. Together, we will continue to organise, to be visible and to resist any anti-LGBTQ and anti-American policies forced upon us.”
These are the orders he has signed so far, and what they mean.
‘Only two sexes’ is now government policy
On his first day back in the Oval Office, Trump signed an executive order entitled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.
The order, which requires government employees to use the term “sex” rather than “gender”, declares it will be the “policy of the United States to recognise two sexes, male and female… these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality”.
The executive order followed directly on from Trump’s inauguration address in which he said there were only two sexes. At the time, he vowed that he would end “the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life”.
Sex markers on IDs, including passports and driving licences, must now show either male or female, based on how an individual was assigned at birth – effectively meaning “X” makers which might be used by intersex, non-binary and gender-non-conforming individuals will no longer be recognised.
The order also demands that federal agencies remove all “internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology”, which could simply be using the phrase “gender” in place of “sex”.
Furthermore, federal funds can no longer be used to “promote gender ideology” and trans prison inmates will no longer be held in female facilities or be able to access gender-affirming care while incarcerated.
DEI gutted from government and military
In two separate executive orders, Trump gutted DEI from both the federal government and armed forces.
DEI is already a divisive topic in the US thanks to the efforts of right-wing pundit Robby Starbuck whose campaign to “restore sanity to corporate America” has resulted in numerous big-name businesses reversing their equality policies.
The first order, also signed on 20 January and entitled Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programmes and Preferencing, claims the previous Democratic administration “forced illegal and immoral discrimination programmes… into virtually all aspects of the federal government”.
It goes on to describe equity action plans as an “immense public waste and shameful discrimination”, adding: “Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great.”
The order stipulated that all DEI committees, policies and programmes would be terminated, and related jobs scrapped.
Meanwhile, the order regarding the military “’Restoring America’s Fighting Force”, claims DEI is akin to sex and racial discrimination and inadvertently “undermines leadership, merit and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness”.
Trump wrote: “As chief executive and commander-in -chief, I am committed to meritocracy and to the elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the armed forces of the United States. No individual or group within our armed forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, colour or creed.”
All policies, programmes and practices related to DEI will be ended.
Trans men and women ‘unfit’ to serve
On the campaign trail, Trump pledged that he would reinstate the trans military ban from his first term, which was repealed by Joe Biden in 2021.
Making good on that promise, he signed an order, entitled Prioritising Military Excellence and Readiness, which claims the military has become “afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service”. It goes on to outline that trans people are medically and morally unfit to serve their country because being trans “cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service”.
It came alongside other orders eliminating DEI programmes in the military and reinstating personnel who had been discharged for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The anti-trans order states certain mental and physical health conditions are “incompatible with active duty”, including “conditions that require substantial medication or medical treatment to bipolar and related disorders, eating disorders, suicidality and prior psychiatric hospitalisation”.
In so many words, the order said that being trans effectively makes someone not honourable enough to serve.
“Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex, conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honourable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life. A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honour this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member,” the order reads.
Figures have previously shown that as many as 15,000 people could be discharged.
Gender-affirming care for trans youth restricted
Trump also instigated a ban on healthcare for trans youngsters.
The order, entitled Protecting Children From Chemical And Surgical Mutilation, claims medical professionals are “maiming and sterilising” children by providing them with gender-affirming care.
It goes on to say: “It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support the so-called transition of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures”.
The word “children” refers to those under the age of 18 and “chemical and surgical mutilation” means the use of puberty blockers, hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, and surgical procedures.
It also outlines that federally run insurance programmes, including Medicaid and Tricare for military families, will exclude coverage for gender-affirming care.
A 2024 review of puberty blockers found that they are “reversible”, and the American Psychological Association has said that such bans pose significant psychological harm to trans and non-binary individuals, and can increase the risk of suicide and self-harm.
Another study, also last year, showed that trans youngsters rarely regret undergoing gender-affirming care while research by Stanford University’s School of Medicine found that positive mental health outcomes were higher for trans people who were able to access gender-affirming care in their teens, rather than as an adult.
Attacks on LGBTQ+-inclusive education
Donald Trump has signed an executive order that seeks to punish any schools discussing transgender issues.
On Wednesday (29 January), Trump continued to sign executive orders that push boundaries, with one directing the acting education secretary to provide a plan to end “indoctrination” in schools within 90 days.
The move follows Trump’s previous claim that the US school system is dominated by “everything transgender”.
Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
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