The Trump administration wants to legally erase trans people

The Trump administration wants to legally erase trans people

The US government, under the watch of President Donald Trump, is reportedly attempting to legally erase the existence of transgender people.

A memo circulating in Washington says the administration is seeking to establish a legal definition of gender as unchangeable and limited solely to male or female, The New York Times reported.

The US Department of Health and Human Services is seeking to enforce strict limitations on gender as part of Title IX, the civil rights law which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in education programs which are government funded in part or whole.

The part of Title IX which bans discrimination on the basis of sex had come to encompass gender identity under Obama-era loosening of legal regulation of government programs.

The Department of Health and Human Services argues that there should be a definition of gender established across departments “on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable.”

The definition the administration is seeking would state that gender is defined solely by one’s genitals at birth, and that any dispute over someone’s gender would require clarification through genetic testing.

The proposed legal change would essentially see trans people legally erased, and present significant challenges for children born with intersex characteristics who are sometimes forced or coerced to undergo surgery to erase intersex traits.

The memo, which has been circulating since last year, proposes that “sex means a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth.”

“The sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.”

The head of the Office for Civil Rights at the department, Roger Severino, declined to answer detailed questions on the memo to the Times, who reported that Severino has previously written opinion pieces which rail against “radical gender ideology” – the kind of phrase used frequently in Australia by anti-trans activists.

These revelations have angered trans advocates in America, with the National Center for Transgender Equality stating that “The Trump administration has waged a nonstop onslaught against the rights of LGBTQ people since its Inauguration in January 2017.”

Trump tweeted during his campaign that he would support queer people as President, but the Human Rights Campaign’s legal director Sarah Warbelow said that “at every step where the administration has had the choice, they’ve opted to turn their back on transgender people.”

During his presidential campaign, Trump infamously tweeted, “Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs.”

Trump last year began an attempt to ban trans people from serving in the US military, which legal advocates say could becoming cemented following the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court.

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2 responses to “The Trump administration wants to legally erase trans people”

  1. It’s insane how frequently Americans including those in positions of leadership ignore science entirely in favour of religious fairy stories. If the Supreme Court lets this stuff through, it’s pretty much Trump’s version of sharia law.

    The idea that intersex people are to be blamed and punished for their own births is abhorrent. The idea that these idiots claim to know better than trans people about sexual identity issues and the only solution is “suck it up” shows how hateful they are.

  2. The administration would be well advised that attempting to roll back the gains made in understanding and acceptance of trans people would cost them more than they realise.

    Being trans, and transition are now well accepted medical fact and practice. The denial of this in the face of overwhelming evidence should make even those against GLBT reality think twice.

    On the other hand, Trump is a businessman and knows that the way to get what you want is to ask a higher price than you seek then move back to the one you want. Although there are those that would like to see it, I do not think it is their actual intention to attempt to erase trans people or do such incalculable harm to people. But to do so would spark a cultural war and lose a larger part of their support than they think, and have further ramifications than supposed.