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Since Donald Trump took office for a second time in January, he has largely been focused on rolling back transgender rights.
He has issued executive orders targeting trans youth, trans athletes, and trans service members serving in the military.
Trump also issued an order declaring that the U.S. government would only recognize two biological sexes—male and female—that were assigned at birth.
- Trump’s administration is rolling back transgender rights, targeting youth, athletes, military service, and federal recognition of gender identity.
- Federal support for gender-affirming care for trans youth under 19 has been banned, risking their health and wellbeing.
- Funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention programs was cut, removing vital support for millions of vulnerable young people.
- USOPC banned transgender women from women’s sports, following Trump’s directive, sparking criticism of discrimination and bias.
Donald Trump has targeted trans people since returning to office
Image credits: The White House
The State Department immediately froze the X gender option on passports and cut its policy that allowed trans, intersex, and nonbinary people to update their sex.
Thousands of federal webpages and public datasets that mentioned gender identity, transgender health, or LGBTQ+ issues were removed.
Trump reinstated his ban on trans people serving in the U.S. military, rescinding a previous order from the Biden administration.
He claimed that being trans conflicted “with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”
Image credits: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
The Supreme Court ruled that the ban could take effect while legal challenges play out in the lower courts.
This decision has been criticized by civil rights groups, including the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR), which called the ban “cruel and demeaning” and pledged to continue fighting it in court.
The administration has also targeted trans youth by banning federal support for gender-affirming care for anyone under 19.
This includes medical treatments and therapies recognized by major medical organizations as essential for the well-being of many trans adolescents.
In June, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s state law banning gender-affirming care for minors.
Image credits: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
While this ruling applies only to Tennessee, advocates worry that other states may follow with similar bans, threatening access to gender-affirming healthcare across the country.
“The result is devastating for youth in Tennessee, who will be deprived of essential, evidence-based care that has been shown to greatly improve their health and wellbeing,” the NCLR said.
“Transgender adolescents need all the same things that every other kid needs: loving families, safe schools, and essential healthcare that lets them grow into happy, thriving adults,” it added.
Concerns that denying care could impact mental health were exacerbated when funding for key LGBTQ+ programs, including a youth suicide hotline, was cut.
A youth suicide hotline helping people in distress was axed
Image credits: The White House
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program was axed earlier this month.
It was estimated that the federal program had helped 1.5 million young people since 2022 and had taken around 16 million calls, texts, or chats.
The Trevor Project, which provided counselling services under a government contract alongside other organizations, said it was heartbroken.
“This administration has made a dangerous decision to play politics with real young people’s lives,” CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement.
“The program was created with overwhelming bipartisan support because, despite our political differences, we should all agree that every young person’s life is worth saving,” Black added.
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“I am heartbroken that this administration has decided to say, loudly and clearly, that they believe some young people’s lives are not worth saving.”
While youth mental health resources are being dismantled, the administration has also reshaped national policy on transgender athletes.
Most recently, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced a ban on transgender women competing in women’s sports.
The committee said it was complying with Trump’s executive order ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,’ which had pulled federal funding for educational institutions allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sports.
The policy describes trans inclusion as “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous” and says it denies women and girls “the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”
Image credits: NCLRights
It remains unclear whether the policy will result in bans on transgender athletes at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“This is yet one more step backward for women using bias toward transgender people as a Trojan horse,” NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter said.
“This is a throwback to what should be a bygone era of invasive and humiliating scrutiny of women athletes.”
The USOPC policy change came after several universities complied with Trump’s directive.
Notably, the University of Pennsylvania stripped trans swimmer Lia Thomas, who won national titles in 2022, of her records.
Advocates say Trump is trying to eradicate trans people from public life
Image credits: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
School curriculum has also become an issue under Trump, with a sweeping executive order banning federal funding for schools that teach about gender identity or support trans students.
The order also discourages diversity programs and restricts discussions of race, sexuality, and gender in the classroom, calling them forms of political indoctrination.
Advocates say that Trump’s efforts as a whole are an attempt to eliminate trans people from public life.
“This administration isn’t just rolling back protections for trans folks, it is fast-tracking a really deliberate and comprehensive campaign to erase transgender Americans from public life,” Kel O’Hara, senior attorney for policy and education equity at Equal Rights Advocates, told CNN.
Image credits: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Associate dean of public interest law at UCLA Brad Sears echoed the comments and said Trump’s efforts weren’t simply about appeasing his MAGA supporters.
“Rather, this is a comprehensive attempt to eliminate trans people from public life, and so every department seems to be trying to wipe out representation and space for trans people in the country,” he told CNN.
“They are true believers in binary gender and, I think, in traditional gender roles and are very aggressively trying to implement this agenda.”
The administration’s actions reflect a broad, coordinated effort to restrict the rights and visibility of trans people across nearly every part of public life—from healthcare and education to military service and athletics.
Advocates say the long-term impact could be devastating, especially for trans youth now facing reduced protections, limited access to care, and fewer places where they are seen, supported, or safe.
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