Advocacy Groups Condemn Trump’s Two-Sex Policy as ‘Cruel’ and ‘Lawless
The executive order caused anxiety because opponents feel that transgender, non-binary, and intersex people can be harmed as the order could create misinformation or spread false views while increasing possibilities for discrimination or harassment.
“We acknowledge this order to be an attempt to demonize, stigmatize, and discriminate against transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people while promoting harmful gender stereotypes,” the letter reads. “It is appalling that these attacks are carried out under the guise of ‘defending women,’ especially given this administration’s repeated assaults on women’s rights.”
The order, which Trump signed on January 20, 2025, mandates that federal agencies adopt strict definitions of sex, asserting that male and female are immutable biological realities. Trump officials argue the policy protects women’s rights and ensures clarity in federal policies.
“My administration will defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language that recognizes women as biologically female and men as biologically male,” the executive order reads. It rescinds previous federal protections for individuals identifying outside the male-female binary and promotes single-sex spaces.
The order also calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to issue new guidelines within 30 days to enforce the policy, asserting that interpretations of existing anti-discrimination laws by the Biden administration were legally flawed and harmful to women.
Critics argue that the policy obliterates the existence of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people, which may exacerbate discrimination. Advocates insist that transgender women and girls must be treated with equal dignity to ensure the safety and rights of all women.
The safety of all women and girls depends on affirming the rights and dignity of transgender women and girls,” the letter declares. “We will not be misled by efforts to undermine transgender rights as part of a broader attack on protections against sex discrimination.
Experts also have expressed their concerns about the policy’s oversight on the scientific nuance involved with sex and gender. A historian of science and gender studies, Alice Dreger, did note that not everyone fits into either male or female categories. She revealed that intersex people as well as those who do not identify as males or females present the most difficult scenarios.
“Every culture across time has recognized people who don’t conform to binary gender roles,” Dreger explained. “Ignoring their existence is not just a denial of reality—it’s gaslighting an entire nation.”
To it, Elvisha Dhamala, the neuroscience expert at Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, elaborated that sexual differentiation is recorded through completely different parts of the brain regarding biological sex as well as gender identity. Research in her group showed the remarkable complexity of the human identity showing that gender sometimes doesn’t work well with biology.
“Life is already really challenging for people who don’t subscribe to traditional gender roles,” said Dhamala. “No one is going out to make their life more difficult-they are just trying to navigate society in the best way that they can.”
Advocacy groups, including the National Women’s Law Center, the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, and the Transgender Law Center, also vowed to fight against the policy. According to the letter, the rights of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex peoples are also human rights.
“We will not let this executive order, or the reprehensible policies it outlines, keep us from striving for equality,” the advocates said. “We are committed to making sure these bigoted actions do not last.”
