In his first month in office, President Donald Trump has made a great deal of executive orders, many aimed at LGBTQ and specifically trans individuals. These include orders restricting access to reproductive healthcare, military enlistment, and implementing laws in schools.
As President, Trump has the power to make executive orders. These are acts the President can make that guide the priorities of institutions and direct federal operations. Executive orders must abide by the Constitution, but do not need to be approved by Congress. Furthermore, only another president has the power to override one.
During January 20, 2025, the President’s first day in office, Trump signed an order terminating many previous ones, including multiple that former President Joe Biden had made surrounding gender equality and policy. Specifically targeted were orders condemning discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.
On that same day, Trump issued Executive Order 14168. The order states, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” This dismantles federal recognition of non-cisgender people– people who don’t identify with their gender assigned at birth. The act also prohibited federal agencies from using documents about transgender rights and equality.
This order also reverses a decision made by the Biden Administration to allow the gender marker “X” on passports and other documents. This was important for transgender, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, and intersex people.
Since the new order contradicts this development, the United States Department of State has halted the utilization of the gender X marker. Their website says, “We will only issue passports with an M or F sex marker that match the customer’s biological sex at birth.”
Those applying for passports with the gender X marker or changing the gender marker on their passports will be denied. Current passports with the marker will be honored until their expiration, but none will be issued further.
On January 27, Executive Order 14183 was issued, removing transgender people from their posts in the military. The order states that “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”
The following day, January 28, another order was passed that aims to restrict access to gender-affirming healthcare for people under the age of 19. This includes procedures such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and physical surgeries. The act seeks to limit insurance coverage of gender-affirming healthcare to minors. It also will restrict hospitals receiving federal grants to give these services.
Order 14201 from February 5 prohibits transgender women athletes from competing in women’s sports. This order works to “rescind all funds from educational programs” in schools across the country, and it suggests extending these limitations to an international level.
- https://www.aclu.org/trump-on-lgbtq-rights#specific-threats-possible-responses
- https://www.hrc.org/news/understanding-executive-orders-and-what-they-mean-for-the-lgbtq-community
- https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trumps-executive-orders-promoting-sex-discrimination-explained
- https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/trump-executive-order-ban-trans-women-sports-rcna190767
- https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/us-stopped-allowing-passport-gender-marker-changes-are-people-affected-rcna191458
- https://www.glad.org/making-sense-of-the-trump-administrations-anti-lgbtq-executive-orders/
- https://www.npr.org/2022/04/01/1090192947/the-white-house-announces-moves-to-gender-neutral-passports
- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/sex-marker.html
- https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5276261/the-future-of-passports-with-the-x-gender-marker
- https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/rubio-passport-sex-marker-changes-paused-trump-order-rcna189222
- https://www.npr.org/2022/04/11/1092000203/gender-x-us-passport-applications
- https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/publications/teaching-legal-docs/what-is-an-executive-order-/
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/03/2025-02194/protecting-children-from-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/03/2025-02178/prioritizing-military-excellence-and-readiness
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/30/2025-02090/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/28/2025-01901/initial-rescissions-of-harmful-executive-orders-and-actions
- https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/01/28/nx-s1-5277106/trump-executive-order-transgender-military
- https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5279092/trump-executive-order-gender-affirming-care
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/11/2025-02513/keeping-men-out-of-womens-sports
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/03/2025-02178/prioritizing-military-excellence-and-readiness
- https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/trump-executive-order-ban-trans-women-sports-rcna190767
