Human Rights
ILGA World Condemns Trump’s Executive Orders, Citing Harm to Trans and Intersex Communities and Failure to Safeguard Women’s Rights
ILGA World is alarmed to learn that United States President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office a sweeping executive order to reverse policies on sex discrimination, gender-neutral markers on ID documents, and housing of inmates comporting with their gender identity.
Under the false pretence of “defending women,” the executive order mandates to remove guidance and policies that acknowledge gender identity, to only offer ‘male’ and ‘female’ as options on identification documents, and to end housing trans women in women’s prisons. The policy endorsing a binary end essentialist understanding and recognition of sex as either ‘male’ or ‘female may have very dire consequences for intersex people, too.
Within the barrage of executive orders signed in just a few hours, Trump has also done away with “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programmes in the Federal Government, and threatened dramatic changes to foreign aid.
An executive order acts as an instruction from the President to federal government agencies on how to enforce laws or policies, without needing approval from Congress.
“Trump’s obsession for targeting trans people is finding its release on the very first day in office,” comment Kenita Placide and Rob Boulet, co-Chairs at ILGA North America and the Caribbean. “Unfortunately, this does not come as a surprise. During its electoral campaign, Trump has reportedly spent nearly US$ 215 millions on anti-trans advertisement on network TV alone, using the lives of a small segment of the population to fuel inflammatory politics and get attention.”
“We agree: women deserve protections, dignity, fairness, and safety. Only, this should be done by creating serious policies to tackle abuse, offer access to healthcare and equal workplace opportunities, invest in women’s leadership and in the expansion of care services. Instead, from Day One, the Trump administration has decided to ignore these solutions, emboldened by anti-gender movements, and use the lives of trans people as tools to sow divisions in society. Our communities deserve better.”
Kimberly Frost, co-Secretary General at ILGA World
“This policy is even more dangerous as it sets a precedent that might inspire similar initiatives in other countries,” explains Julia Ehrt, executive director at ILGA World. “If the United States really wish to be and be seen as a beacon of democracy, it is simply unacceptable for them to exclude parts of its population out of discriminatory beliefs. The rhetoric we have seen at play during the inauguration and Trump’s first day in office – especially targeting racialised, First Nations, and LGBTI people – should have no room in a democratic country.”
“We will look into what practical implications of these executive orders will have. But we refuse to give in to this politics of shocking announcements that seek to fuel panic,” Ehrt concludes. “Instead, we will repair the fractions, rebuild and strengthen our communities, be there in solidarity for each other. We offer our deepest solidarity to our communities in the US – indigenous people, people of colour. trans people, intersex people, all LGBTI people and all women – and we will continue to speak truth to power towards every country affected by these global anti-rights, reactionary waves. Our voices will not be silenced.”
