President Trump issued executive orders defining sex as biologically fixed at conception and launched policies restricting transgender rights in areas like the military, sports, healthcare, and housing. The orders use language such as “maiming” and “junk science” to frame transgender identities as deceptive, aiming to delegitimize their legal recognition.
Critics argue that the orders go beyond policy, attempting to undermine transgender existence itself. Supporters claim that they are restoring biological definitions of sex, while others, including some who oppose certain transgender policies, view the tone as unnecessarily harsh. Legal challenges against the orders are already underway.
Compiled from: Amy Harmon, "How Trump Uses Language to Attack the Idea of Transgender Identity,” The New York Times, Feb.11, 2025.