Transgender Americans Facing Apprehension and Fight for Acceptance

In the United States, the transgender community is facing a challenging period under the Trump administration.

On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a decree titled "Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government." This decree marked a significant shift in government policy, with institutions offering hormone therapy no longer receiving research funds from Washington, and government assistance for hormone therapy being cut.

The decree also led to the removal of the "T" from government texts about the LGBTQ+ community, and the US passports now display the gender assigned at birth. Furthermore, the decree states that trans women in the US can only be housed in men's prisons.

The Trump administration's anti-trans measures have caused great fear within the community, with some fearing they will be "rounded up and erased as transgender people." The community is not giving up and continues to protest against these measures. Thousands of trans people and supporters protested on May 31, 2025, at the "International Day of Transgender Visibility" in Washington D.C.

The anti-trans measures are also connected to other controversial decisions made by the Trump administration. For instance, the nationwide right to abortion was once again overturned in the 2024 Supreme Court ruling, and the community is blamed for spreading "woke" ideas like women's rights, gender diversity, and racism criticism, and thereby destroying American values.

The Trump administration has also banned trans people from the military and prohibited trans girls and women from participating in women's sports. A study by the non-profit organization "The Trevor Project" shows that in U.S. states where anti-trans laws have been enacted, the number of suicide attempts among youth in the trans community has increased by 72 percent.

The Supreme Court has declared Trump's ban on trans people in the military lawful, but the name of the constitutional justice who made this decision is not publicly known. Human rights organizations like the ACLU are filing numerous lawsuits against Trump's decrees.

Rachel Crandall Crocker, a trans woman, founded "Transgender Michigan" in 1997 to provide resources and support for the trans community. Despite the challenges, the community continues to fight for their rights and visibility. Journalist Grace Byron experiences additional checks and investigations when traveling due to being a transgender woman, but this has not deterred her from speaking out against the administration's policies.

Crandall Crocker has compared the anti-trans measures in the USA to actions of the Nazis, highlighting the growing concern within the community. The Trump administration has also cut government funds for gender reassignment procedures, making it increasingly difficult for transgender youth to access necessary hormone therapy.

Donald Trump rallied his supporters in his 2024 campaign with anti-trans statements, which have contributed to a rise in attacks on transgender people. These attacks are connected to the current deportation waves and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In 2024, 32 transgender and gender expansive people were victims of violent homicides.

Despite the challenges, the transgender community continues to fight for their rights and visibility. The community is not giving up, and the fight for equality continues.