Since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders targeting the LGBTQIA+ community.
One order said the U.S. government will recognize only two sexes, male and female. It would also require the federal government to use the term “sex” instead of “gender.”
This order states it will “defend women from gender ideology extremism and restore biological truth to the federal government.” Trump wants to stop men who self-identify as women from having access to “intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women,” like domestic abuse shelters and women’s workplace showers.
Trump said eliminating the biological reality of sex attacks women and deprives them of safety. He noted that males identifying as females and vice versa permits a “false claim,” and that a person can’t be born in the wrong sexed body.
It also requires government-issued identification documents like passports and visas to reflect the person’s biological sex accurately.
Rachel Simon is the executive director at Norwalk’s Triangle Community Center, which offers free services for LGBTQIA+ individuals, such as therapy and legal support.
“On our staff, we have two folks who have X gender markers on their licenses and passports, and one staff member decided around the time of the inauguration to change their ID back to their sex assigned at birth, which doesn't make them any less trans, but it was a decision that they made for their own safety,” Simon said. “And then another staff member made the decision to keep the X gender marker and had to say to some family in Florida, 'Look, I'm not going to be visiting you for a little while. I don't feel safe traveling with my documents that represent me accurately, but I don't want to be targeted when I travel.'”
Simon said she’s seen a rise in fear and anxiety and is worried about the mental health of her peers.
“The most dire of my concerns is the loss of life of people from within the LGBTQ+ community,” Simon said. “This month, the Bridgeport Pride Center, Triangle Community Center, and some others were approached to help pay for the funeral costs for a trans person who died by suicide. And the family needs support.”
Trump also wants to end DEI programs, restrict gender-affirming care, and put an end to what he calls “radical indoctrination” in schools.
“You shouldn't have to conform to a government regulation that doesn't give you the opportunity to be your authentic self,” Simon said.
