President Donald Trump of the United States Signs An Order Prohibiting Federal Assistance for Child Gender Transitions

In his most recent attempt to weaken rights for transgender individuals nationwide, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday that will reduce federal funding for gender transitions for anyone under the age of 19.

Trump stated in the order that federal funding for this type of care would cease. He urged the secretary of Health and Human Services to take all necessary steps to stop children from being mutilated chemically and surgically.

Donald Trump has banned child transition, and the order states that “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 s*x to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.”

There are existing limitations on gender-based care for children and youth in more than 26 US states.

“Today’s order lays out a clear plan to shut down access to life-saving medical care for transgender youth nationwide, putting politics between patients and their doctors and overriding the role of families,” said Chase Strangio, head of the LGBT and HIV Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.