US Transgender Community: Navigating Fear and Opposition

In the United States, transgender individuals are facing a series of challenges that have been intensified under recent political decisions.

On January 20, 2025, former President Donald Trump signed a decree titled "Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government." This decree, among other things, mandates that trans women be housed in men's prisons and bans trans individuals from the military. The Supreme Court has upheld the legality of this ban.

Moreover, the Trump administration has cut government funds for gender affirmation measures and institutions that offer hormone therapies for minors no longer receive research funds from Washington. This has made access to essential healthcare services for transgender youth particularly difficult.

The attacks on transgender rights are causing great fear within the community. Rachel Crandall Crocker, a Michigan-based transgender activist and licensed psychotherapist specializing in transgender issues, compares these actions to the actions of the Nazis. She founded "Transgender Michigan" in 1997 to normalize being trans and offer support.

Crandall Crocker emphasizes the importance of community support for the transgender community. In 2025, thousands of trans individuals and supporters protested in Washington D.C. for the "International Day of Transgender Visibility."

The Trump administration's policies have also been met with legal challenges. Human rights organizations like the ACLU are taking numerous legal actions against Trump's decrees. A federal court, for instance, reinstated hormone treatments for transgender prisoners, which Trump had banned.

However, public opinion on transgender issues is not uniformly supportive. A survey shows that 69% of Americans believe that a person's birth gender should determine whether they can participate in women's or men's sports. Furthermore, 51% of Americans find gender transitions immoral.

The attacks on transgender people are not isolated incidents. They are connected to the current deportation waves and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The letter "T" is systematically removed from government texts about the LGBTQ+ community.

Journalist Grace Byron experiences additional controls when traveling due to being a transgender woman. In 2024, 32 transgender and gender-expansive individuals became victims of violent homicides.

Despite these challenges, Crandall Crocker continues to advocate for the rights and well-being of the transgender community, emphasizing the importance of community support and normalizing being trans. She founded the Transgender Day of Remembrance in 2009 to honour the lives of transgender individuals lost to violence.