Alyssah Hall
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Americans are witnessing the many conservative promises of Project 2025 unfold as President Donald Trump began rolling out several executive orders as soon as he was sworn in on Inauguration Day.
Many of these orders target the LGBTQ+ community, specifically transgender youth and adults. The irony of Trump’s inauguration being held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day–a day set aside to celebrate a Civil Rights icon who fought for equality–and Trump, who spent it signing executive orders created to inhibit just that, was not lost on the American people.
One of his initial executive orders signed Jan.20, and designed to attack the transgender community was titled, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government.”
“Across the country, 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. This is wrong,” Sec.1 of the order states.
This executive order calls for a new federal government definition of the sexes that will impact transgender identities nationwide. These orders have already resulted in poor outcomes as some transgender people who await passport document approval fear not having their gender identity updated or approved by the federal government as it will no longer issue documents with “X,” which people who identify as neither male nor female, use.
Due to the extremeness of this order, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement against the command.
“All individuals, regardless of who they are or who they love, deserve to be recognized and treated equally. Here in California, the LGBTQ+ community is and will continue to be protected under a myriad of state laws and California’s constitution,” Bonta stated.
“We are keeping a close eye on how this Executive Order is implemented and related actions by the Trump Administration. The President cannot eliminate fundamental rights by Executive Order, nor can he order federal agencies to violate the law,” Bonta continued in the press statement.
Trump issued another executive order on Jan. 27, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” which attempts to ban transgender troops from serving in the military. The order compares transgender troops to people with bipolar disorder, eating disorders, prone to suicide, and prior psychiatric hospitalization which the Department of Defense (DoD) considers “incompatible with active duty.”
“Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false “gender identity” divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” according to Sec.1 of the order.
The following day, Trump signed “Protecting Children From Chemical And Surgical Mutilation,” another order that seeks to end gender-affirming care for adolescents under the age of 19.
“…It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called “transition” of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” according to Sec. 1 of the order.
Bonta issued a statement following the order, stating that California families searching for gender affirming care are safe under state laws such as the Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Intersex (TGI) Inclusive Care Act. Bonta said Trump’s order does not change that.
“When policies target transgender individuals of all ages, especially those from vulnerable and BIPOC communities, they contribute to systemic erasure and deepen existing inequalities. Denying access to life-saving healthcare and protections doesn’t just create barriers—it increases isolation, intensifies mental health struggles, and raises suicide rates within our trans community,” said Toi Thibodeaux, program director at the Inland Empire LGBTQ+ Center.
The Inland Empire LGBTQ+ Center was founded in 2023 by three IE natives, Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, TruEvolution President and CEO Gabriel Maldonado, and community leader Jesse Melgar. The Center is located in downtown Riverside on TruEvolution’s Project Legacy campus.
Thibodeaux has been working within the LGBTQ+ community in the Inland Empire for over 20 years.
“This isn’t about politics; it’s about humanity. Every person deserves the right to exist, to be seen, and to access the care and support they need to live a full, authentic life,” she continued.
Thibodeaux has served as a mentor to students of color and LGBTQ+ students throughout her career. She established BlaqOUT, a discussion group for LGBTQ+ students who are of Black or African descent. She has also spent a lot of time working with LGBTQ+ students one-on-one at the University of California, Riverside.
“The Inland Empire LGBTQ+ Center stands as a beacon of inclusion and support, ensuring trans individuals and their families are never alone. We are committed to uplifting, protecting, and empowering our community—because access to care and dignity should never be up for debate,” Thibodeaux said.