In 2017, the Trump administration decided to ban transgender citizens from participating in the military. Now, they want to remove transgenders from being recognized under federal law by narrowing the definition of sex. In a memo, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) writes that it is trying to redefine gender and sex as “...a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth. This means that a person’s gender is determined by their birth sex/genitalia, and cannot be changed unless genetic testing proves otherwise. The DHHS argues that the definition is necessary because it is “grounded in science”. This new definition of sex would be put under Title IX, a federal law that bans gender discrimination in government-assisted education programs.
This new potential definition for sex could bar people that identify as transgender from
having civil rights benefits, and sweeps the transgender community (about 1.4 million people)
under the rug. This is, in part, efforts from the Trump administration to remove Obama-era rules
on gender, which were lax and more accepting.
having civil rights benefits, and sweeps the transgender community (about 1.4 million people)
under the rug. This is, in part, efforts from the Trump administration to remove Obama-era rules
on gender, which were lax and more accepting.
How do you feel about the new potential definition of sex? What effects do you think it will have
on the LGBTQ+ community?
on the LGBTQ+ community?
Will this affect the Trump administration’s popularity? If so, do you think it will have any effect on
the midterms coming up in a few weeks?
the midterms coming up in a few weeks?
What is the point of Trump preventing transgender people from joining the military & removing it from the list of federally recognized genders? I don't think gender should affect where or not people should be allowed into the military, because gender does not hinder your abilities. I also don't think that Trump should remove transgender from the list of genders recognized. People should be allowed to be whoever they want to be and identify how they want to be identified as.
ReplyDelete-Andrea Tran
I think that the definition is ridiculous and that we shouldn't force people to be someone they are not. I think this will greatly impact the LGBTQ+ community by making them feel as though they don't matter. Trump should be focused on other matters instead of trying to discriminate against more people. I think this will make Trump unfortunately more favorable to a lot of conservatives.
ReplyDelete-Lea
This is another example of Trump being ignorant, and not knowing the difference between sex and gender. While the definition of sex is backed by science, one's gender is personal, and is unique to their own sexual orientation. Trump is again trying to pick on people who are minority to make him feel powerful, instead of serving his country and doing things that are more urgent.
ReplyDelete-Trey
Honestly what's the point of the president not letting the transgender community join the military whats the reason out of that they have no difference over other people that join the military that's insane. And since the elections are coming up he might have not as a strong chance of being re-elected with all this going on. -K.C
ReplyDeleteTrump has definitely damaged his chances of getting more votes, if anything, he should be including more people regarding of race/gender, not the exact opposite, if he wants to get re-elected. Perhaps the discrimination is to satisfy his superiority complex, however I predict that won't be lasting very long since he's not doing much beneficially to the country as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Alessandra. With such a narrow definition of gender, the trans community is completely swept under the rug. I think this allows the Trump Administration to legally ignore the existence of a trans people, and therefor to avoid the hassle being inclusive or considerate in their new policies. I don’t think Trump Administration’s lost any votes as I don’t expect trans or allies to be voting for them in the first place. However I do think such action will be praised by more conservative voters and will cause some popularity increase.
ReplyDeleteLots of people noticed that Trump should probably be doing better things with his time than picking on trans people. While his priorities might seem
Deleteodd, I think he is trying to get on the Republicans’ good side by passing minor conservative policies before the midterm elections.
I agree. If trans people don't legally exist, they get denied health coverage for their transitional period, and they can be discriminated anywhere, including schools. I also agree with your point about the midterms. This only strengthens his core base and feeds on outrage culture to further our political divide.
ReplyDeleteIt is absurd to think that the Trump administration is even considering changing the definition of sex. By excluding transgenders from the definition, they are basically saying that trans people do not exist and that they don't matter.
ReplyDelete