Trump says US policy will recognize 'only two genders'
US President Donald Trump said in his inauguration speech Tuesday, Jan. 21 (Philippine time) that his government's official policy would only recognize two genders, ending the current practice of providing a third gender option in some settings.
In his inauguration speech at the US Capitol, Trump said "as of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."
The policy will almost certainly face legal challenges.
In practical terms going forward, official documents would be forced to "reflect sex accurately," the official said, without stating whether that meant gender assigned at birth.
"No longer will the federal government be promoting gender ideology," the official said.
The official did not specify any clear policies on gender transitions—but did suggest that genders assigned at birth could not be changed.
"These are sexes that are not changeable, and they are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality," they said.
Transgender fear
Ahead of the election, Trump planned to "ask Congress to pass a bill establishing that the only genders recognized by the US government are male and female, and they are assigned at birth," his political program stated.
He had also promised to ban gender-affirming care for minors and to take legal action against any doctors and educators who carry out or enable the practice.
Many in the queer community were alarmed by the election of Trump following a campaign in which the Republican put attacks on trans people and their rights front and center.
The LGBT National Help Center has been receiving about 2,000 calls per day since the election results, instead of the usual 300, according to its director Aaron Almanza.
Anti-trans rhetoric was a mainstay of Trump's campaign rallies, drawing huge cheers from crowds fired up by the Republican's false claims that children were being forced to undergo gender reassignment, among other lies. (AFP)
