Trump Administration Plans To Exclude Trans People From Civil Rights Protections

The Trump administration’s latest effort to discriminate against trans people is truly horrifying

The Trump administration recently circulated a memo saying they plan to remove federal, civil rights protections from the trans community by defining gender as either male or female, determined only by the genitals a person is born with.

They’re essentially saying trans people don’t exist, and plan to no longer recognize them by rolling back these protections.

The New York Times is reporting that the Department of Health and Human Services has begun efforts to establish a revised, legal definition of sex under Title IX — which is the federal civil rights law banning gender discrimination in federally-funded education programs. In a memo obtained by the Times, the department says an “explicit and uniform definition” of gender should be adopted based on “biology.”

Which, to the Trump administration, means a person’s sex should be determined by the genitals a person is born with. And, to add a further horrifying element to an already inhumane proposal — any dispute about a person’s sex will be clarified by using genetic testing.

“Sex means a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth,” the memo states, per the Times. “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.”

Here’s what that means — and listen up, because this is a huge deal. Under these proposed gender regulations, 1.4 million Americans who identify as trans or recognize their own gender will no longer be federally recognized nor would they be legally eligible to receive civil rights protections.

Outrage doesn’t even begin to cover it.

This summer, the Trump administration made it clear they seek to ban transgender people from serving in the military. Discriminating against an entire group of marginalized people is despicable, cruel, and something that should terrify every person in this country.

If you want to be a true ally, call your reps. Don’t shut up about this injustice. And — most importantly — vote on November 6th.