Trump administration rescinds policy allowing federal employees to use preferred bathrooms

In a move that has sparked controversy, the Trump administration has officially rescinded a 2016 policy that allowed individuals to use restrooms in federal facilities according to their gender identity. The General Services Administration (GSA) issued a notification of rescission, citing an Inauguration Day executive order that recognises two sexes and requires agencies to designate "intimate spaces" by sex rather than identity.

The rescinded policy, which applied to buildings under the jurisdiction of the GSA, had been a significant step towards inclusivity for trans and non-binary individuals. However, the new executive order directs agencies to remove statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other messages that promote or inculcate gender ideology.

The lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's directive has been backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward. LeAnne Withrow, a civilian employee of the Illinois National Guard, has filed a class action lawsuit. Withrow states that the policy would put a needless barrier between her work on behalf of military families and her own dignity.

The class action points to the 2020 Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which states that employers cannot discriminate against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Moreover, the American Medical Association, Psychiatric Association, and Psychological Association all say that gender is a spectrum rather than a binary consisting of men and women.

The rescission of the 2016 bulletin comes at a time when the Defense Department has ordered approximately 1,000 trans service members to leave the military, just two days after the Supreme Court authorized Trump's ban to take effect while litigation against it proceeds. The identity of the person who filed the lawsuit on Monday, August 23, against the Trump administration's directive preventing trans and non-binary federal employees from using their preferred restrooms in federal facilities has not been identified in the provided search results.

Friday's notice stated that gender ideology believes there are genders disconnected from the sex assigned at birth. The notice did not specify how the new policy would be enforced or what alternatives would be provided for trans and non-binary individuals. The developments have sparked concerns about discrimination and the rights of trans and non-binary individuals in the federal workforce.