I remember growing up and hearing, “America is a melting pot.” It made me feel like I was a part of something bigger. I love to learn, especially about people’s cultures and identities. Growing up in a town known for its queer culture and pride parades, I have always been surrounded by queer people. Never in my life have I felt more free, accepted, and myself than when I am in the company of my queer peers.

On his very first day back in the Oval Office, Trump signed an executive order that stated that the government would only recognize two binary genders: male and female. He continued on by stating that the gender you are assigned at conception is the gender you are. This statement alone invalidates the lives and experiences of transgender, non-binary, and intersex people. 

Not only is this order insane, but it isn’t even achieving what Trump is hoping it will. It seems to me that Trump plans to eradicate anyone who is not a cisgender female or male, to have an America made up only of “men” and “women.” However, there are some flaws in his logic.

At conception, an embryo, by default, is female. At conception, it’s impossible to tell what the biological sex of an embryo is. All fetal genitalia are the same and are phenotypically female. It isn’t until 6-7 weeks into gestation that the 23rd chromosome decides whether to continue sexual development as a female or to switch developmental paths and produce testes. 

So, if I follow Trump’s new standard, and we are all the gender we were assigned at conception, I’d like to be the first to welcome you to America, the first country whose population is made up entirely of women! He just changed his status from the first felon in office to the first woman in office.

Even though I am cisgender, I deeply empathize with my queer siblings as the leader of the “free world” strips away their rights and identity. I’m scared of what the future may look like for the queer community. I felt like the last couple of years, America was headed in a progressive and inclusive direction. Now, I struggle with feeling hopeless and defeated. I attended the CIE Friday Forum, and it was so helpful and validating that I wasn’t being dramatic. It’s important to talk about these issues because millions of people’s rights are being violated.

According to the Williams Institute, there are 1.6 million individuals ages 13 and older who identify as transgender. The same study found that more than a third of the transgender youth in America live in states that have banned access to gender-affirming care. 

If you would like to become more informed, you can check out the executive orders on the White House’s website.