On the day of his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders to eliminate efforts to provide protections for LGBTQ+ students and increase educational access for Hispanic, Native American, and Black students. In one executive order, Trump directed the U.S. government to only recognize two sexes — male and female — based on reproductive cells and directs federal agencies to use its definition of sex to enforce laws, including Title IX. The order also defines “female” as someone who produces “the large reproductive cell” and “male” as someone who produces “the small reproductive cell” and says that “sex” is “not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity.” According to the order, federal funds, should not promote the notion that individuals can assess their own gender or that a spectrum of genders exist, and described such claims as false and labeling them “gender ideology.” At this point, it is unclear how this assessment will immediately impact schools or their LGBTQ+ students.
Also that day, the President also rescinded several Biden-era executive orders that sought to increase educational access to underrepresented students. Among their many goals, they aimed to increase federal funding access to minority-serving institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. He also struck down a 2024 executive order that established a White House initiative to increase educational access through Hispanic-serving institutions.
On the following day, the Trump administration announced a directive ending the practice of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents avoiding “sensitive” areas — including elementary and secondary schools, colleges, hospitals and churches — for enforcement actions.
It is expected that legal challenges will mount against these and other actions taken by the President.
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