Trump signs executive orders reversing transgender protections and DEI programs

01/28/2025 / By Laura Harris

President Donald Trump signed two executive orders reversing protections for transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs established by the previous administration.
The first order mandates federal agencies to terminate all DEI and environmental justice roles and offices, assess the cost of DEI programs and review the number of new DEI hires.
The second order overturns former President Joe Biden’s directive on policies affecting transgender individuals and mandates agencies to update official documents to reflect a binary view of gender, prohibiting taxpayer funding for gender transition services in prisons.
The order asserts that there are only two genders and claims that efforts to recognize more than two genders attack women’s dignity, safety and well-being.
The move has sparked backlash from civil rights groups and advocates for transgender rights, while conservative organizations are hailing the change as a recognition of the truth. Trump stated that the order aligns with Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a society judged by the content of one’s character rather than skin color.

President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders reversing protections for transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs established by the previous administration.

The first order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” mandates federal agencies and departments to terminate all DEI and environmental justice roles and offices. (Related: FBI shuts down DEI office days before Trump takes office and vows to end “woke virus.”)

In addition to rescinding the executive order signed by former President Joe Biden that sought to overturn Trump’s own ban on the federal government and its contractors from conducting racial bias training, the administration will assess the number of new DEI hires and the cost of Biden’s diversity and environmental justice programs as part of the order.

Meanwhile, the second executive order overturns Biden’s 2021 directive, which required federal agencies to review policies that could negatively affect transgender individuals. Instead, it calls for a review of DEI initiatives, which he described as discriminatory. The review could result in the termination of environmental justice grants, diversity training and other similar programs.

The order asserts that “there are only two genders, male and female” and mandates agencies to update official documents such as passports and visas to reflect this binary view. It also prohibits taxpayer funding for gender transition services in prisons to protect women’s safety and dignity.

“Efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety and well-being. The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system,” the executive order stated.

Trump: We will make Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream come true

The move has sparked widespread backlash from civil rights groups and advocates for transgender rights.

“We are not going anywhere,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said, adding that “we will fight back against these harmful provisions with everything we’ve got.”

However, conservative organizations like the American Family Association are hailing the change as a recognition of the truth. Trump administration officials even noted that it is fitting for the order to be announced on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as it seeks to revive the notion that one day all Americans will be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.

“We will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true,” Trump said during his inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20. “We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.”

Major companies are dumping DEI policies. Watch this video.

This video is from The Highwire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com.