Trump Vows to Undo Transgender Student Protections

Former President Donald Trump has declared his intention to reverse a newly implemented Biden administration policy that extends protections to transgender students under Title IX of the federal civil rights law. This move is seen as part of Trump’s broader agenda to limit LGBTQ rights if he secures a second term in office.

Trump has vowed that on his first day back in office, he would roll back the Biden administration’s expansion of Title IX, which seeks to prevent federally funded schools from discriminating against transgender students in terms of bathroom usage, locker room access, and the use of pronouns aligned with their gender identities.

During a speech in Iowa in March, Trump went further, promising to issue an executive order that would withhold federal funding from schools that promote what he described as “critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate content” to children.

In a video released in January, Trump outlined a series of policies aimed at restricting gender-affirming care for minors. These included urging Congress to pass a federal ban on such treatments and implementing measures to limit federal funding for transgender-related issues.

Among his proposals, Trump stated that he would prevent doctors who provide gender-affirming care from receiving payments through Medicare and Medicaid. He also pledged to stop federal agencies from endorsing the concept of sex and gender transition at any age. Additionally, he planned to instruct the Justice Department to investigate the medical industry for allegedly concealing the long-term side effects of sex transitions for profit.

Trump also detailed plans to extend these restrictions to schools, promising “severe consequences” for educators who suggest to children that they might be in the wrong body.

In 2022, while speaking in Texas, Trump indicated his intention to ban transgender individuals from participating in women’s sports. He specifically criticized transgender swimmer Lia Thomas following her controversial record-breaking swim meet in Ohio while she was a member of the University of Pennsylvania swim team.

Regarding Transgender Day of Visibility, which coincided with Easter Sunday in 2024, Trump and Republicans criticized President Joe Biden for recognizing the day. They falsely claimed that Biden had chosen Easter to coincide with the advocacy day, despite the fact that Transgender Day of Visibility has been observed on March 31 since 2009, and the Biden administration has acknowledged it each year.

In a January video, Trump condemned what he called “left-wing gender insanity,” labeling it as child abuse and outlining his plan to halt what he described as the chemical, physical, and emotional mutilation of young people.

Looking ahead, the Biden administration’s expansion of Title IX is set to take effect on August 1. However, more than 20 Republican-led states are suing to block the law.

Despite Trump’s stance on transgender issues, his daughter, Tiffany Trump, defended his relationship with the LGBTQ community at a “Trump Pride” event in Florida in 2020, noting his past support for gays and lesbians but omitting mention of the transgender community. Trump has previously referred to himself as a “real friend” of the gay community.

Trump’s administration took steps to roll back transgender rights from its early days, including removing LGBTQ references from federal websites. He also implemented regulations to reduce protections for transgender individuals in anti-discrimination laws and banned transgender people from serving in the military, a policy that President Biden has since reversed.