Just hours after officially returning to the White House, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to declare that the U.S. recognizes two genders, male and female — a move that a White House official said is “step one” before issuing further restrictions on transgender people.
“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” Trump said in his inaugural speech. The order he later signed states that they “are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
Trump made anti-trans messaging key to his campaign and, after winning in November, has talked about ending “transgender lunacy” as being a priority for his administration. The president said that he planned on issuing orders to stop trans athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports and to stop federal agencies from promoting gender-affirming care.