As of late LGBTQ+ rights groups have been mobilizing around the US. These efforts were in reaction to a recent report on how the Trump Administration is considering a move on cutting and reducing federal civil rights protections for the recognition of people that identify as transgender.
According to a memo obtained by the New York Times, the administration is planning on clarifying a legal definition of gender, under Title IX. Title IX was originally created to stop the discrimination on the basis of sex. Unfortunately they are considering this “legal definition” of gender to be more binary.
The Health and Human Services Department that is spearheading this action is suggesting that we should adopt a more, “explicit” and “uniform” definition of gender. The department has proposed that it should be “On a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable”. To elaborate, gender would only be defined as female or male and only determined by the genitals they were born with. Any further argument over someone’s gender would be based on genetic testing. The department is calling on some of the larger establishments within government including the Departments of Education, Justice, and Labor, to enforce this definition.
However, where we as students would most be affected by this definition is the battleground of regulations that surrounds bathrooms and locker rooms.
Not only would the effect of this change be a massive rollback on an Obama administration definition of gender, but it obliterates the federal recognition of people that identify as something other than the gender they were born with.
In wake of this report, Sarah Warbelow, the legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, who is known as being an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights has said, “At every step where the administration has had the choice, they’ve opted to turn their back on transgender people”, to the NY Times.
Not only have there been countless protests, but the people have taken social media by storm. Everything from posting portraits of themselves under the #WontBeErased hashtag to creating threads on how we, as citizens, can protect transgender rights.
Due to the backlash on social media and pushback within the administration, this change to be very unlikely, to happen.
To everyone out there who is feeling helpless, know your rights by clicking here.
According to a memo obtained by the New York Times, the administration is planning on clarifying a legal definition of gender, under Title IX. Title IX was originally created to stop the discrimination on the basis of sex. Unfortunately they are considering this “legal definition” of gender to be more binary.
The Health and Human Services Department that is spearheading this action is suggesting that we should adopt a more, “explicit” and “uniform” definition of gender. The department has proposed that it should be “On a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable”. To elaborate, gender would only be defined as female or male and only determined by the genitals they were born with. Any further argument over someone’s gender would be based on genetic testing. The department is calling on some of the larger establishments within government including the Departments of Education, Justice, and Labor, to enforce this definition.
However, where we as students would most be affected by this definition is the battleground of regulations that surrounds bathrooms and locker rooms.
Not only would the effect of this change be a massive rollback on an Obama administration definition of gender, but it obliterates the federal recognition of people that identify as something other than the gender they were born with.
In wake of this report, Sarah Warbelow, the legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, who is known as being an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights has said, “At every step where the administration has had the choice, they’ve opted to turn their back on transgender people”, to the NY Times.
Not only have there been countless protests, but the people have taken social media by storm. Everything from posting portraits of themselves under the #WontBeErased hashtag to creating threads on how we, as citizens, can protect transgender rights.
Due to the backlash on social media and pushback within the administration, this change to be very unlikely, to happen.
To everyone out there who is feeling helpless, know your rights by clicking here.