Written by Bianca Flowers and Danielle Trotta
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Monday rescinded executive orders that promoted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and strengthened the rights of LGBT people and racial minorities, making good on promises to limit protections for the most marginalized Americans.
Shortly after taking office, Trump rescinded 78 executive orders signed by his predecessor Joe Biden, including at least a dozen measures supporting racial equality and combating anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
Shortly before Trump was sworn in as the 47th president, a new White House official told reporters that Trump would soon take more executive actions that would declare, for example, that the US government would recognize only both sexes — male and female — which could not be changed. .
Trump's policies represent a major departure from the Biden administration, which prioritized implementing diversity measures across the federal government. Trump rescinded two orders Biden signed on his first day in office four years ago, one to promote racial equality for underserved communities and another to combat discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Trump rescinded other orders aimed at helping blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“This week, I will also end the government’s policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,” Trump said in his inaugural address.
“We will form a color-blind, merit-based society,” Trump said. “As of today, the official policy of the United States government from now on will be that there are only two sexes, male and female.”
The Trump administration plans to review and potentially end what the official described as “discriminatory programs,” including environmental justice grants and diversity training initiatives.
The rollback of DEI and Trump's inauguration coincided with this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday commemorating the civil rights leader.
Civil and human rights advocates immediately vowed to protect minorities and challenge Trump's agenda.
“We refuse to back down or be intimidated. We're not going anywhere, and we will fight these harmful rulings with everything we've got,” said Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the world's largest LGBT rights advocacy group. The United States said in a statement.
Any rollback of DEI and transgender rights implemented by Trump would be a blow to hard-won efforts to secure equitable policies and undermine progress made to address systemic biases that have denied equal opportunities to marginalized groups for decades, advocates said.
“We will continue our tireless efforts to protect the rights of immigrants, combat voter suppression, and confront hate and discrimination in all its forms,” Asian Americans Advancing Justice said in a statement.
Many companies have distanced themselves from DEI measures, with some pulling back on DEI initiatives and programs in recent weeks. Meanwhile, companies like Costco (NASDAQ:) and Apple (NASDAQ:) have remained resolute in maintaining their commitment to DEI.
As part of the executive orders, federal funds will not be used to promote “gender ideology,” a loose term often used by conservative groups to refer to any ideology that promotes non-traditional views about gender and sexuality, the official said. Rights and advocacy groups view the term as an anti-LGBTQ and dehumanizing trope.
The new White House official said in a press conference that the Trump administration will recognize only the sexes, male and female, as unchangeable, and will instruct federal employers to use the term sex, not gender, which can refer to gender norms and identity. .
US funding will also not be used for medical procedures for gender conversion, the official said without providing details.
The Trump administration also planned to limit the scope of a major victory for transgender rights under the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the high court found that civil rights protections against discrimination “on the basis of sex” applied to sex and gender identity.
The official said the attorney general will provide clear guidance on how to enforce Bostock.
Transgender rights have become a controversial political topic in recent years. During the November election season, many Republicans campaigned on repealing transgender laws with a particular focus on transgender women's participation in sports.
During a rally ahead of his inauguration on Sunday, Donald Trump said he would take action to “keep all men out of women's sports.”
It was not immediately clear what the executive orders would mean for the US military. During his first term, Trump announced that he would ban transgender troops from serving in the military, and his administration also froze the recruitment of transgender individuals. Biden overturned this decision when he took office in 2021.
