DEI’s Fate under Trump’s Presidency

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a concept that promotes participation and fair treatment of everyone regardless of their background, class, gender, or race. This notion has been advocated in the United States of America for years. However, Trump's stance after his inauguration as the 47th president seems to condemn the DEI initiatives, as evident by the executive orders he had signed after assuming office. In his inaugural address, Trump declared his intent to lead America towards a merit-based opportunistic system where individuals are credited for their skills rather than benefitting from a DEI-incentivized system. Furthermore, he stated, "As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female." This declaration has perpetuated widespread controversy within transgender communities and activists campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights.

Amongst the major legislative actions concerning the gradual abolishment of DEI is the restriction of gender-affirming care for transgender individuals under the age of 19. This law affects incarcerated transgender people and institutions supporting transgender healthcare that receive federal funding. After President Trump's inauguration, the Department of Justice informed the Supreme Court of the United States that any previous lawsuits supporting transgender medical care would not be backed by the federal government. However, since advocates argue this goes against constitutional rights, this policy has led to multiple lawsuits against President Trump.

Moreover, Trump’s orders also prevent Americans from selecting their own gender in official documents and assert that the biological gender assigned at birth must be used. All federal agencies supporting the ideology of multiple genders or institutions funding gender transition-related care for minors will be penalized under these new regulations.

As Trump seeks to eliminate what he calls 'Transgender Insanity,' federal agencies are instructed to limit the usage of certain words, including LGBTQ, Non-Binary, and Transgender. Additionally, Trump's newly implemented policies redefine the interpretation of Title IX, a law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs, by disallowing transgender athletes from participating in sports competitions for the gender they do not biologically correspond to. Ultimately, President Trump's directives are steadily reducing the protection and recognition of transgender individuals. Although many demonstrate a strong opposition to these measures, there are some who agree with restoring the nation to a merit-based system.