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President Donald Trump of the United States plans to issue a set of executive directives on Monday targeting diversity programs and gender identity policies. This action aligns with his campaign pledge to take on “woke” culture, a polarizing issue that has divided opinions across the nation.
Trump, while on the campaign trail, criticized diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives implemented by the federal government and private corporations, claiming they disproportionately disadvantaged white men and fostered reverse discrimination.
He launched a vehement critique against the concept of gender diversity, with transgender individuals bearing the brunt of his ire. His comments were particularly pointed toward transgender women in athletics and the practice of providing gender-affirming care to minors, which he characterized in an unfavorable light.
Ahead of the presidential inauguration, a soon-to-be White House official told the press that Trump will implement a directive requiring the US government to formally acknowledge only two biological sexes. The policy will coincide with plans to abolish existing federal diversity programs.
The policies will almost certainly face legal challenges.
In practical terms, official documents would going forward be forced to “reflect sex accurately,” the official said, without stating whether that meant gender assigned at birth.
“No longer will the federal government be promoting gender ideology,” the official said.
The government would also only recognize two genders — male and female — ending official policies that recognized a third gender, denoted by an “X” on US passports for example.
“What we’re doing today is defining that it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes: male and female,” the official said.
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The official did not specify any clear policies on gender transitions — but did suggest that genders assigned at birth could not be changed.
“These are sexes that are not changeable, and they are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” they said.
The government would also immediately move to curtail programs that sought to redress historical inequality but that Trump has insisted disadvantage white people, particularly men.
“The Department of Treasury — this is a little while ago now — included diversity training that said all white people, regardless of how woke they are, contribute to racism. So this type of funding, we’re going to end at these (diversity) programs. We’re going to end that,” the official said.
They added that the incoming administration would move to “terminate all discriminatory programs” while also seeking out civil service roles linked to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion that had been renamed by the Biden administration in an effort to protect them from Trump’s axe.
