For the LGBTQIA+ community, President Donald Trump’s return to office last week was met with anxiety and uncertainty for their future in this country.
Many in the community feared this event would mark the end of several important federal protections that have been hard fought for and won over the last decade. Sadly, many of those fears were realized Day One, especially for trans Americans.
During his inaugural address, Trump revealed the incoming administration’s anti-trans agenda,
“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.
Trump’s declaration was met with a standing ovation from the GOP leaders and Trump supporters in attendance. This moment marked a stark shift away from the few advances the United States had finally made in favor of trans rights in recent years.
Brysvane Borbe, president of the Pride Alliance at CLC, reacted to the Trump’s speech and expressed their concern over the social ramifications that could be ignited by a sitting president taking such an extreme public stand against the trans community.
“We’ve already seen from Trump’s past administration an increase in transphobic rhetoric and what it does,” Borbe said. “It opens up the whole floodgate, not just for verbal attacks but physical attacks as well.”
According to a CBS 2022 article, homicides against trans citizens nearly doubled during Trump’s first term, especially against black trans women.
Borbe recalled the many names of trans youth who were memorialized at last year’s Day of Remembrance at CLC.
“These young trans kids are dead now because of this harmful rhetoric,” they said.
Immediately after his address, Trump backed his words by signing executive orders targeting the LGBTQIA+ community. These actions repealed all previous executive orders protecting U.S. citizens against discrimination based on their gender identity or sexual orientation, replacing them with an executive order entitled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.
This order requires all agencies within the federal government to dispose of even the concept of gender identity and uphold that only biological sex exists.
“Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide to the U.S. Government, external partners, and the public clear guidance expanding on the sex-based definitions set forth in this order,” said the executive order signed by Trump.
”Each agency head shall promptly rescind all guidance documents inconsistent with the requirements of this order or the Attorney General’s guidance issued pursuant to this order, or rescind such parts of such documents that are inconsistent in such manner.”
Several documents are listed to be rescinded, though the order states it is not an exhaustive list of what they plan to remove. Among these documents are The White House Toolkit on Transgender Equality; several memos outlining protections and supports for trans and intersex youth and students; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace; documents outlining guidance on protection for trans services members, and two memorandums that expanded on Title IX implementation to protect trans students from discrimination in federally funded educational facilities.
CLC’s LGBTQ+ Student Outreach and Program Coordinator Sergio Flores addressed how these executive actions may affect trans Americans, especially students who are now losing federal protections.
“My concern is the mental health toll it’s going to take on the community,” Flores said. “It’s going to make people second guess their surroundings. We finally had been getting rights and some feeling of safety from those laws and actions. Now, people don’t know where to turn. Where will they be safe? Where can they go to talk about this? For a lot of people, they may feel like they are being told they have to hide again.”
Another major concern is what this executive order will mean for those on Federally funded public healthcare, like Medicaid. While the order does not directly address access to gender-affirming care for Medicaid patients, it does outline that Federal funds will no longer be expended for any form of gender-affirming care, including HRT, for inmates in federal prisons.
Guidelines coming from the Department of Health and Human Services will be changed to reflect only biological sex and not gender. These policy changes raise concerns as to whether HRT and other gender-affirming healthcare will still be considered medically necessary and covered by Medicaid insurance providers. If these new health guidelines do affect Medicaid coverage for trans patients, there is an additional question of whether it could cause a ripple effect in the private sector and shift what they deem medically necessary as well.
Flores addressed the devastating effects loss of coverage for gender-affirming care would have on the trans community.
“Many health organizations across the world understand and agree that gender-affirmative care is important,” Flores said. “It is something that needs to be available to people. It is going to be an avenue for discrimination to take place. A lot of people are going to be harmed.”
When asked what he would say to CLC trans students here who may be afraid and struggling with uncertainty for their future in this country after the inauguration, Flores said he wanted students to know one main thing.
“You belong here,” Flores said. “ You belong on this campus. You belong in every room that this campus has to offer, the classrooms and shared spaces. The emotions you feel are valid. And it is important to process those and have your reactions in the way you need to.”
He added that his door is always open as a safe space for any student who needs it.
“If you need to have conversations, I’m available,” Flores said. “And I know that there are many faculty and staff here on campus who are willing to have conversations.”
President Borbe with Pride Alliance echoed similar sentiments and said Pride Alliance is open to all students who need a safe community and they have access to many resources both on campus and in the larger Lake County area.
Pride Alliance meets 2:30-3:30 p.m. Mondays in the multipurpose room at the Grayslake campus.
If you feel overwhelmed and in extreme distress or feel you are at risk of self-harm, please call one of the major LGBTQ+ safe hotlines:
Trevor Project: 866-488-7386, or text 678-678
SAGE LGBT Elder Hotline: 877-360-LGBT (5428)
The Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
