Following Donald Trump’s re-election as president, Cathy Renna, a veteran advocate for LGBTQ rights, reports growing anxiety within the transgender community in the U.S. Many are worried about job safety and some even feel compelled to remove their social media profiles to evade potential harassment.

Trump has prominently featured issues surrounding gender identity in his campaign, launching a series of advertisements, speeches, and rallies aimed at undermining transgender rights, signaling that such actions would be a top priority in his upcoming term.

As the community braces for the future, discussions are rife with a mix of apprehension and uncertainty about what Trump may actually enact.

“There’s a tremendous amount of apprehension and fear,” stated Renna, who is the communications director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. “This will not mirror his first term; he has a new team surrounding him and appears willing to inflict severe harm on our democracy and the LGBTQ community.”

Since early 2023, Trump has detailed the gender policy adjustments he plans to pursue as part of his campaign agenda, known as Agenda 47. The majority of these initiatives focus on limiting the rights of transgender minors, as well as their healthcare providers and educators.

“They are committed to making good on their promises,” said Isa Noyola, a trans Latina and deputy director of the Transgender Law Center in Oakland, California. “They will approach this with precision to fulfill their commitments to their base. They are familiar with the bureaucracy well enough to be very targeted, and they are not going to waste any time. We can expect swift attacks.”

The transgender community’s worries are palpable, particularly given the rollback of LGBTQ+ healthcare protections during Trump’s previous presidency and the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, which was subsequently overturned by President Biden.

Renna emphasized that maligning the transgender community formed a core part of Trump’s strategy: a tactic prevalent in his campaign events and speeches. While his inflammatory rhetoric resonated with Christian conservatives, it also included numerous inaccuracies and bizarre claims regarding transgender individuals.

“The situation regarding transgender individuals is astonishing,” Trump claimed during an August interview with the Florida-based group Moms 4 Liberty. “Imagine your child goes to school and comes home a few days later after having undergone a procedure without your consent. The school is dictating your child’s circumstances.” This claim was later debunked.

Earlier that same month, he incorrectly referred to two female Olympic boxing gold medalists as men, despite them being born and raised as women.

“It’s not surprising he views the community as an easy target,” Renna remarked. “They are exceptionally vulnerable, and the public still has much to learn about our trans and nonbinary family members. However, the sort of rhetoric he employs fosters an atmosphere conducive to hatred.”

A survey released late last year by the Trevor Project, a national agency supporting LGBTQ+ youth, indicated that 90% of LGBTQ+ youth felt that the political climate adversely impacted their mental health. The organization reported a rise of nearly 700% in requests for crisis services the day after the election compared to the weeks leading up to it, with some local organizations, like Missouri’s GLO Center, extending their hours for “post-election decompression.”

“When someone disseminates horrific, defamatory, and false statements, it has real consequences,” Renna said.

Jami Taylor, a political science and public administration professor at the University of Toledo and a trans woman, described the current environment as likened to “an existential crisis for the trans community.”

“There’s a lot of fear, which is entirely justified,” Taylor noted. “It’s dire, and there’s no sugarcoating it. You can’t reassure people that everything will be fine when the uncertainty is overwhelming.”

What Trump has stated about gender identity

Within his Agenda 47 plan, Trump asserts he will “reverse Joe Biden’s harsh policies” regarding gender-affirming healthcare “on Day One.”

Gender-affirming care is endorsed by renowned health organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics,

This includes the use of hormones to slow down puberty and encourage physical changes that reflect a child’s gender identity.

Approximately 5% of young adults identify as transgender or nonbinary, which is about three times higher than the general population, as per a Pew Research Center survey released in 2022. Research from the Williams Institute at UCLA suggests that around 300,000 adolescents aged 13 to 17 identify as transgender in the United States.

Among Trump’s plans are measures to outlaw what he refers to as “child sexual mutilation,” cut off Medicare or Medicaid funding for healthcare providers who offer gender-affirming care to youth, and endorse lawsuits against doctors providing this type of care.

Trump also stated he would urge Congress to pass laws that recognize only male and female genders at birth; promote educational content centered on traditional family values in schools; and withdraw funding from schools whose faculty discuss gender identity with students.

Taylor anticipates that Trump will adopt a more aggressive stance on transgender rights if he is re-elected, prioritizing gender-affirming healthcare and limits on transgender athletes in sports.

“I believe he is likely to push the boundaries significantly based on their current messaging,” she remarked.

Historically, the transgender community has faced targeted campaigns during elections; however, a recent fundraising letter from the national organization Advocates for Transgender Equality emphasized that this election cycle is distinct due to Trump’s notable focus on gender identity issues.

“He has directly targeted our existence and our rights,” the letter stated. “He vowed to continue his assault on trans people if he secures a victory – and we know he will follow through on that.”

Pre-election survey results from Data for Progress show that 74% of Americans were put off by anti-transgender political advertisements, but “many candidates who ran these ads still won,” according to Taylor. “Winning is the ultimate indicator. While correlation doesn’t imply causation, it’s hard to ignore the results.”

Noyola from the Transgender Law Center expressed that the community is feeling “exhausted” from being used as a pawn in Trump’s political agenda.

“The rhetoric and hostility have been unrelenting – with rallies, messaging, and using transgender identity as a divisive tool to create fear,” she remarked.

The atmosphere has now shifted towards apprehension about future developments.

What can we expect from a potential Trump administration?

Taylor, from the University of Toledo, finds Trump’s proposal to limit federal acknowledgment of gender identities particularly alarming, raising concerns about the feasibility of such a change given states’ historical control over vital documentation.

“The principle of federalism would be significant in this issue,” she commented. “The Trump administration can’t simply erase transgender individuals with a stroke of a pen.”

She also noted that such policy initiatives could backfire if they go too far.

“I believe this administration risks overreaching,” Taylor stated. “If they target aspects like identity recognition and healthcare for transgender adults, defending those actions could become much more challenging.”

Simply put, while using such matters as a campaign strategy is one thing, targeting a demographic through governmental policies presents a different challenge.

“People dislike witnessing others being oppressed by their government,” Taylor suggested. “Once policies begin targeting specific populations, public approval typically diminishes.”

Jen Grosshandler, executive director and co-founder of GenderCool, a national organization from the Chicago area that promotes positive narratives about transgender youth, echoed this sentiment. She believes that the primary factor driving Trump’s elections was the economy.

“Regular people don’t want their elected representatives interfering with the rights of those raising transgender children,” expressed Grosshandler, who has an 18-year-old transgender daughter. “While they might attempt to push some of these agendas, there will come a time when the average citizen will demand they stop focusing on this and start attending to the reasons we elected them.”

She also anticipates that more families with transgender youth will choose to relocate to Illinois.

“We are in a state that strongly supports us, and we’re likely to see an influx of families,” Grosshandler remarked. “It’s disheartening to think this is the reality we face. However, there are many good people around, and the majority of them don’t wish to interfere with how we raise our children. I believe it’s unproductive for anyone to try and restrict families like ours.”

A 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that public opinion is nearly split on regulations about teaching gender identity in elementary schools, with 41% supporting such laws and 38% opposing them. Around 20% of respondents expressed neutrality.

Additionally, while 58% favored laws mandating that transgender athletes compete based on their assigned birth sex, 64% opposed discrimination against transgender individuals in employment, housing, and public places.

Transgender Community Readies for Endurance

Noyola expressed admiration for the community’s strength when facing ongoing challenges, which persisted beyond Trump’s presidency as numerous state legislatures presented hundreds of bills aimed at limiting transgender rights, especially for young people.

According to translegislation.com, 2023 has seen an unprecedented number of anti-trans bills introduced in the U.S., including proposals to prohibit gender-affirming care for young people and to penalize doctors who offer this care.

“We will endure this administration just like we did before,” Noyola affirmed. “The previous administration taught us valuable lessons, and we understand the stamina needed for the prolonged struggle ahead.”

Renna from the National LGBTQ Task Force noted that advocacy organizations have been preparing for various election outcomes and are not caught off guard.

“While we were surprised by the extent of Trump’s victory, we were not surprised that it could happen,” she stated. “The speed of change is uncertain, but as a community, we must prepare ourselves.”

Renna believes that those who voted for Trump mainly for economic reasons may soon regret their decisions.

“I foresee voter remorse,” she remarked. “My hope is that no single election can undermine our democracy. I trust that people will fight back.”

Noyola added that the community is already taking action. The first Trump presidency inspired many transgender leaders, and the resistance has only amplified since then.

“They want us to retreat and aim to diminish our movement, but it will only strengthen our organizing efforts,” she asserted. “This is a call for us to engage fully and meaningfully.”

Despite the challenges, Noyola highlighted that recent elections have shown progress, with transgender individuals making notable strides in politics: Sarah McBride of Delaware has become the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, while Aime Wichtendahl has made history as Iowa’s first openly transgender legislator in a state that has been less than welcoming to transgender rights.

“We are present in every area of public life,” Noyola stated. “Even though this administration is likely to intensify its attacks against us, we remain steadfast. We are not disappearing.”