The most recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump restricts federal recognition of gender to male and female designations. This ruling reverses inclusive policies put in place during the Biden administration, igniting a national dialogue on civil rights and gender identity.
In a dramatic move during his inauguration address, President Donald Trump issued an executive order reinstating a binary classification of gender across federal policies.
The directive, titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” requires government organizations to acknowledge only male and female as the only unchangeable sexes.
The Biden administration’s attempts to increase gender inclusion, including the 2022 addition of the “X” gender identifier to passports, have been sharply reversed by this. “The U.S. government officially maintains that there are only two genders: male and female,” Trump said.
These designations will now only appear on federal documents, such as employee records, passports, and visas. Prison, migrant shelter, and single-sex facility departments are also directed to maintain areas for biological males or females.
Federally funded grants and contracts will also be closely examined to make sure they don’t promote gender dogma. Instead of using “gender,” a government official stressed the use of “sex” to restore what they call “biological truth.”
Some lament the ruling as a setback for the LGBTQ+ community’s civil rights, while others celebrate it as a defense of traditional values.
The policy, according to proponents of inclusion, diminishes the respect and dignity of Americans who identify as gender nonconforming.
The executive decision has rekindled discussions about how the government can strike a balance between individual liberties and biological categories, paving the way for more legal and cultural conflicts in the years to come.
