What does Donald Trump mean when he says there are ‘only two genders’?

Here’s what Trump 2.0 may entail for queer people in the US.

‘Only two sexes’

Trump on Monday issued an executive order titled ‘Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government’. The order states that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female”, and that the term “gender identity” is “disconnected from biological reality and sex”.

Although they are sometimes used interchangeably in ordinary speech, sex and gender refer to distinct concepts. Sex refers to labels assigned at birth, usually based on one’s genitalia, while gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions, and identities which may or may not be associated with the sex one was assigned at birth. Sex is often seen as a binary — male or female — whereas gender identities are seen falling in a spectrum or continuum.

Donald Trump’s rejection of what he calls “radical gender ideology” is a part of the larger conservative push against the growing visibility and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ persons in society.

LGBTQIA+ is an umbrella term for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual persons, with ‘+’ representing other identities that are not specifically included in these letters. Notably, LGBTQIA+ persons do not conform with traditional gender roles and expectations, display sex characteristics that do not fit the typical male or female binary, or boast gender identities that differ from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Policy implications

The aforementioned executive order says that “ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex have increasingly used legal and other socially coercive means to permit men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women, from women’s domestic abuse shelters to women’s workplace showers.”

Thus, the recognition of only two, unchangeable sexes which shall govern all “interpretation of and application of Federal law and administration policy” is ostensibly in service of “defend[ing] women’s rights” and “protect[ing] freedom of conscience”.

During his election campaign, Trump’s official policy platform included promises to cut federal funding for schools that were, among other things, “pushing radical gender ideology”. Effectively, Trump promised to defund schools where conversations on gender identity are encouraged, and children are counseled on these issues.

He had also promised to bring an end to “left-wing gender Insanity” by barring transgender athletes from participating in sports under their preferred gender identity, and cutting available funding for sex-change surgeries. The executive order is the first step towards delivering on these promises.

That said, the order is set to have far-reaching implications even beyond the confines of schools and sporting activities. For instance, all government-issued identification documents including passports and visas will only reflect the sex a person is assigned at birth, and not their gender identity.

This will also likely impact federal medical insurance coverage, which could, depending on the state, cover parts of the costs for gender-affirming care, including hormone therapy and gender affirming surgeries during the Biden administration. According to the US Census Bureau, 92% of the US population has some form of health insurance, with 36% of these people covered under programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.