LGBT activists and groups are actively working to challenge the gender-related executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. These orders aim to address what he calls 'gender ideology extremism.' Legal challenges are mounting against these directives, which were signed in late January.
Among the controversial orders are the reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a prohibition on federal funding for sex changes for minors, and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only two sexes, male and female, in official standards of conduct.
According to Jennifer Levi, director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), these bans go against American values of equal opportunity and merit-based judgment. Levi emphasized that qualified individuals who wish to serve their country are being denied the opportunity due to political agendas.
GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) were among the first to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration regarding the military ban. The lawsuit, Talbott v. Trump, was filed on equal protection grounds by active-duty service members and individuals seeking to enlist.
Another lawsuit challenges Trump's executive order ending medical transgender treatments for federal prisoners. The inmate, represented by GLAD Law, NCLR, and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, argues that the order violates constitutional amendments and jeopardizes access to necessary medical care for gender dysphoria.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole in Boston issued a temporary restraining order preventing the transfer of the transgender inmate to a men's prison. The inmate is to remain in the women's prison general population and continue receiving transgender medical treatments.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Trump's executive orders, particularly those related to immigration policies. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management released a memo directing federal agencies to acknowledge biological distinctions between men and women, in line with Trump's stance against promoting what he terms 'gender ideology.'
