US President Donald Trump will immediately issue executive orders restricting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and announce that the US government will recognize only two genders – male and female – which cannot be changed, a new White House official announced on Monday.
The official spoke just hours before Trump, 78, spoke took the oath of office as president for a second time, he added that further action on DEI programs is expected “very soon.”
“This week I will also end the government's policy of attempting to socially engineer race and gender in every aspect of public and private life.” – Trump – he said in his inaugural speechwhen he returned to power after four years away from the Oval Office.
“We will create a color-blind, merit-based society. (…) Starting today, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” Trump said.
The Trump administration plans to review and potentially end what the official described as “discriminatory programs,” including environmental justice grants and diversity training initiatives. Full details on planned steps to rescind the orders or when they would be announced were not immediately released.
The impending DEI phaseout and Trump's inauguration coincide with this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day. honoring the late civil rights leader.
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said Trump's policy is a step backward.
“Dr. King had a dream, and this is his nightmare: rolling back the work of our civil and human rights coalition over the last 75 years.” Wiley said in a statement.
Upcoming challenges
Civil and human rights advocates and groups immediately vowed to protect minorities and challenge Trump's agenda.
“We do not bow down or be intimidated. We're not going anywhere and we will fight these harmful laws with everything we have,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ rights group in the US. in a statement.
Rights advocates say any Trump rollback of DEI and transgender rights would be a blow to fierce efforts to secure equitable policies and undermine progress made in the fight against systemic biases that have denied equal opportunities to marginalized groups for decades.
“We will continue our ongoing efforts to protect immigrant rights, fight voter suppression, and confront hate and discrimination in all its forms,” Asian Americans Advancing Justice said in a statement.
Many corporations – including: Meta, McDonald's AND Walmart — have distanced themselves from DEI measures, rolling back some DEI initiatives and programs in recent weeks. Meanwhile, companies like Costco and Apple have remained resolute in their commitment to DEI.
New expectations for federal employers
The Trump administration would recognize only the immutable two genders, male and female, and instruct federal employers to use the term sex rather than gender, which can refer to gender norms and identity, a new White House official said at a news briefing.
The U.S. official, without providing details, also said federal funds would not be used for gender-affirming care.
Federal health care policy for transgender people is heavily influenced by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which prohibits sex discrimination in health care.
During his first term, Trump issued executive orders weaken this sectionwhich was strengthened again under US President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration also planned to limit the scope of a significant victory for transgender rights with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the high court held that civil rights protections against discrimination “on the basis of sex” Application to sexuality and gender identity.
The official said the attorney general would provide clear guidance on the use of Bostock.
A recurring Republican target
Transgender rights have become a controversial political topic in recent years. During the November election season, many Republicans campaigned to repeal transgender laws, with a particular focus on transgender women participating in sports. Related messages have formed the basis of some ads by the Trump campaign and advocacy groups that Together they spent millions of dollars to distribute these advertisements later in the campaign.
During Sunday's pre-inaugural rally, Trump said he would take action to “keep all men out of women's sports.”
It was not immediately clear what the orders would mean for the U.S. military. During his first term, Trump announced he would ban transgender troops from military service, and his administration froze the recruitment of transgender personnel. Biden overturned this decision when he takes office in 2021
Brian Kalt, a professor of constitutional law at Michigan State University, said that while presidents do have executive power, some of the actions Trump has promised to enact – such as ending birthright citizenship – “will require an uphill battle in court.”