President Trump has signed over 100 executive orders (EOs) in the first four months of his presidency.
His EOs have touched every corner of his party’s agenda as a new wave of alt-right republicanism becomes mainstream. The directives in these orders include freezing all new refugees to the U.S., rolling out mass deportations, limiting federal support for abortion, and eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in federal offices and federally funded initiatives.
From the broad scope of Trump’s executive orders, one group appears to be overwhelmingly targeted and belittled: LGBTQ+ youth.
In an order from Jan. 18, Trump barred persons under 19, including 18-year-olds who are legal adults, from receiving gender-affirming care. Following the president’s issue, several hospitals across the nation suspended appointments and care relating to gender-affirming procedures, according to NBC News.
Research shows that transgender youth are currently more likely to experience health disparities compared to their cisgender peers, including an increase in bullying, violence, and substance abuse. Gender-affirming care centers exist to be safe spaces for trans teens and youth who experience violence and prejudice in their communities.
The ACLU is currently challenging Trump’s EO in PFLAG v. Trump, where a federal judge blocked the order but then appealed to higher levels.
PFLAG National is the largest organization in the U.S. dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth and their families. They have partnered with the ACLU to fight for healthcare, such as suppressants or hormones, which the Trump administration has attempted to block. These suppressants are puberty blockers, which halt the production of sex hormones and the products of puberty, such as facial hair or breast development.
One Atlanta-area trans 16-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, says, “Every president, it feels like one step forward, then the next is three steps back. Even during presidencies that support queer youth, there is no way to ensure that the next person won’t unravel all the progress made.”
Queer rights specialist Ryan Thoreson told Human Rights Watch that President Trump’s commitment to upholding discriminatory and prejudiced ideals represents the hazard his cabinet and agenda pose to the youth of the nation. The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ youth crisis support organization, recently reported a 700% increase in calls to their mental health facilities.
Trump denies the gender spectrum that includes trans women, trans men, and nonbinary people, favoring strict binary mandates on sex or “biological truth.”
According to ABC News, the Jan. 20 executive order was cast over all federal branches, leading to many federal employees removing their pronouns from their bios or email tags by direct request from the Trump administration. This order defines female and male identities as being assigned based on reproductive cell production. It directs all federal agencies to remove any “gender-based ideology” from all policies and medical-based procedures. It also has the power to remove funding from schools that do not comply, meaning teachers and students can face legal pressure if unwilling to obey.
The Trump administration starkly contrasts with the protections based on sex included in the Affordable Care Act.
“I’m not going to lie; I’m scared,” says the 16-year-old teen I interviewed. “It feels like our rights are so flexible that they change with every election.”
As this order bars federal funds from being used to promote gender ideology, several gender-affirming care centers, such as those in Virginia, have been shut down or closed as result of the lack of funding and pressure to close. Data collection will also suffer, as reports comparing transgender and cisgender experiences will stop due to the lack of recognition this bill creates.
Last fall, the Trevor Project published a peer-reviewed study that found trans suicide attempts increased by as much as 72% when states enacted anti-transgender bills. A 2017 study titled “What an Emerging Trump Administration Means for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health” argued that the lack of data on trans youth will worsen their situation, as the violence and prejudice they face remain understudied and unrecognized.
Trans youth are even losing the haven of the school, which they don’t have the option to skip.
President Trump has banned federal funds from being allocated toward efforts that assist in a child’s social transition, including changing the student’s name, allowing them to use locker rooms and bathrooms of their gender, and participating in sports and activities designated for the opposite sex. Through this bill, trans students are being isolated from their peers and forced to participate in activities and called names they do not feel comfortable with.
A non-binary student, C, who recently graduated from high school, described to Ann Arbor Family Press that “If home isn’t a safe space, and school no longer is either,
