"Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government." (01,20,25)

What is it?

Executive Order 14168, titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government", is a comprehensive order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, that fundamentally changes how the federal government recognizes gender and transgender people. The order requires all federal departments to recognize only a male-female binary based on biological sex assigned at conception, replaces all instances of "gender" with "sex" in government materials, and prohibits transgender people from using single-sex federally funded facilities that match their gender identity. It also ends federal funding for gender-affirming medical care, stops allowing people to self-identify their gender on federal documents like passports, and calls for a re-evaluation of workplace discrimination protections for transgender people.

This executive order also raises fundamental philosophical questions about the distinction between biological sex and gender identity that have been debated in feminist literature for decades. Works like Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex," which famously argued that "one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman," and Judith Butler's "Gender Trouble," which challenged the idea that gender naturally follows from biological sex, have shaped modern discussions about gender as a social construct versus biological reality. The order essentially takes a stance in this ongoing debate by mandating that the federal government recognize only biological sex.

What is in it for us?

The most direct effects on young adults and teens would be changes in federal facilities and programs they use. For example, transgender students at federally funded colleges would have to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their biological sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity. Young adults applying for passports would no longer be able to select their gender identity if it differs from their sex assigned at birth. Transgender teens and young adults would lose access to federally funded gender-affirming medical care, including hormone therapy or counseling services provided through programs like Medicaid or at federally qualified health centers.

On the positive side, supporters argue this could create clearer, more consistent policies in areas like sports and facilities. For instance, young women competing in federally funded athletics programs might face less competition from transgender athletes who were assigned male at birth, though it's worth noting that transgender women's participation in women's sports remains quite rare.