In President Donald Trump’s 2025 inaugural address, he declared the following: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”

This was the first of what would soon become many attacks on the transgender community in the United States under his new administration. From Trump’s verbal invalidation of gender identity to one of his first executive orders declaring trans identities as “extremism,” it remains clear that under Trump’s presidency, trans rights are under attack. 

Now, a year into Trump’s second term, the state of trans rights is critical. 

This year alone, over 14 anti-transgender bills have been passed. This means that in Kansas, trans citizens no longer have the right to a driver’s license. In Wisconsin, those under 18 are at risk of no longer being able to medically transition and no longer being able to participate in sports teams that align with their identity. 27 states have challenged gender-affirming care for youth. 

All these laws beg the question: Why? 1% of the US population identifies as trans. Transgender citizens are a small population of the U.S., yet the government is focused on passing law after law that blocks the rights of these already marginalized individuals. These actions reveal something critical about the administration: they are not considering youth in their policies and are not holistically supporting the U.S. population.

But these laws are more than just limitations on sports and healthcare. For trans youth, these policies directly attack their future — many trans students don’t feel safe to attend college in several states in the U.S. 

“I can’t go to college pretty much anywhere in the U.S., except for California and New York City,” Los Altos High School junior and trans student Samuel Hiltgen said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve understood the policies more. … The current administration is very transphobic.”

Even in designated “safe” states like California, where trans rights are known to be protected, the pressure of the Trump administration has cracked down. Medical providers like Stanford now hesitate to provide gender affirming medical procedures to trans individuals. This month, the Supreme Court blocked rights that protected the privacy of trans students, meaning students can now be forcibly outed by their school. 

All states need to be safe and supportive of trans kids — no child should feel less safe in another state because of policies. But when something as critical as healthcare is being taken away from youth, security for trans children can feel out of reach. 

“I was supposed to have top surgery last summer, and because of what Trump passed, … it meant that all the Stanford surgeons were not able to perform surgery on anyone under 19,” Hiltgen said. “I wasn’t able to have surgery.”

These policies are doing nothing but harm. Trans youth don’t have a say in them, and have no choice but to put their own health at risk as gender-affirming care becomes harder and harder to get. And for many, this type of healthcare is extremely critical. 

“Some people need this medication to survive,” Hiltgen said. “Without testosterone, I would not be alive. … It’s pretty important that I have access to that.”

But it’s not just the current trans population being affected — it’s also the history of this community. History regarding queer and trans communities is being disregarded, and several government websites with LGBTQIA+ history have the notice that gender ideology is “disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female.” The government has forced a change of the records of historical queer history, erasing all mentions of the transgender community from the Stonewall website. 

But these changes aren’t just small edits on a website. It’s directly attacking and invalidating the entire history of a community that’s been fighting for a place in society for decades. The constant social and legal abuse and invalidation of the trans community are unacceptable, and these recent actions have only made the community more marginalized. 

“Honestly, [policies have] kind of always been like this,” Hiltgen said. “I didn’t know it could get that much worse, but it’s just constantly getting worse.”

Despite the brutality against the trans community, many of these matters are out of our control. But as citizens, there are still things we can do, like supporting organizations like The Trevor Project and the Transgender Law Center. Simpler gestures like asking for pronouns and prompting inclusive, queer safe spaces can help support your local trans community.

“I want to have rights,” Hiltgen said. “We [trans people] deserve to be respected.”

Right now, the rights of one of the most marginalized communities in the U.S. are being attacked. Their rights, history and healthcare are being invalidated as the administration continues to pass laws that put the trans community further at risk. It is time we do our duty as citizens and speak up against it.