‘This will ruin people’s lives’: Trump already declared his horrific attack on transgender rights

Now that Donald Trump will return as the 47th President of the United States, trans rights may be in grave danger.

In a video from January 2023, Donald Trump threatened to sign an executive order that would “seize all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition.” This EO would effectively target LGBTQ+ inclusive education. Trump made similar promises during this year’s campaign trail. He threatened to cut funding for schools that are teaching “gender indoctrination.”

Additionally, Trump said he would ensure the Department of Justice would investigate ‘big pharma.’ This statement stirs doubt among citizens about trusting hospitals and healthcare systems. In his perspective, the healthcare system merely profits off people’s gender dysphoria. He asserts that medical institutions have financial gain over trans people, despite proof of institutionalized discrimination. Trans people are also likelier to be denied healthcare by clinicians.

The impacts are profound. As one X (Twitter) user notes, “This will ruin people’s lives.” Hormone therapy is associated with increased quality of life among trans people across gender identity and age. Without the proper care and support, trans people will be in danger under another Trump administration.

An erasure of trans identity

Trump intends to make it difficult for trans people of all ages to get gender-affirming care. This isn’t limited to minors—it includes fully consenting adults. What Trump wants to promote instead is the “positive education about the nuclear family.” It dismisses LGBTQ+ families altogether and entrenches heteronormative views on sexuality and gender. He ended his video by stating he’d ask Congress to pass a bill that establishes that “the only recognized genders by the United States government are male and female, and they are assigned at birth.”

It seems First Amendment rights don’t matter to Trump. If these orders are put into practice, Trump will effectively put a gag order on people’s identities. This is an erasure not just of trans people but of genderqueer people as well. While this clip comes from 2023, Trump hasn’t changed his stance against trans people. After all, Trump won the election by promoting anti-trans propaganda throughout his 2024 presidential campaign.