Happy New Year 2025

Tag: gender

Hiding kids’ ‘gender identity’ from parents is common in blue state fighting Trump on trans issues

More than 50 school districts in Maine have policies that allow minors to hide their gender identity from their parents, according to a new watchdog report.

Parents Defending Education (PDE), a grassroots organization tracking gender ideologies in schools across the country, filed public records requests to confirm that at least 57 of the state’s 192 school districts have policies excluding parents from knowing whether their children identify as another gender.

The report comes after President Donald Trump chastised Democrat Maine Gov. Janet Millis last week over her refusal to enforce Trump’s “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order.

TRUMP VOWS TO CUT OFF FEDERAL FUNDING TO MAINE OVER REFUSAL TO COMPLY WITH ‘NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS’ ORDER

President Trump and the Department of Education building. (Getty Images)

“It was totally unsurprising to see the governor of Maine go to the mat to keep males in women’s sports when over 50 school districts in Maine have written policies to deceive parents about their own child,” PDE spokesperson Erika Sanzi told Fox News Digital Friday.

“We have seen a groundswell of parents in Maine speaking out about this now that they are aware of it, and it is our hope that districts begin to roll back these policies, not only because of the executive orders from the Trump administration but because nearly 80% of their constituents oppose them,” she said.

In one example from the state’s largest district, Portland Public Schools, district policy on “transgender and gender expansive students” requires that if “a student and their parent or legal guardian do not agree with regard to the student’s gender identity or gender expression, the school shall abide by the wishes of the student with regard to their gender identity and gender expression while at school.

“School staff shall comply with the student’s wishes regarding disclosure of their transgender status to others, including but not limited to parents or guardians, students, volunteers or other school staff, unless the student has explicitly authorized the disclosure or unless legally required to do so.”

MAINE FEMALE ATHLETE ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR TRUMP’S FOCUS ON TRANS COMPETITORS AFTER LOCAL LEADERS ‘FAILED’ GIRLS

A student leads a group of demonstrators in Knoxville, Tenn., in protest of the state’s 2022 transgender athlete ban. (Saul Young/Knoxville News-Sentinel /USA Today)

Policies like Portland’s are also still in place after Trump signed an executive order at the end of January, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” which states that “steering students toward surgical and chemical mutilation without parental consent or involvement or allowing males access to private spaces designated for females may contravene Federal laws that protect parental rights.”

Trump has already threatened to cut off Maine’s federal funding if it continues to defy his orders.

“I heard men are still playing in Maine,” Trump told to a gathering of Republican governors in Washington last week.

“I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money. They are still saying, ‘We want men to play in women’s sports,’ and I cannot believe that they’re doing that. … So, we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up.”

MAINE STATE REP TALKS ‘EXTREME’ TRANSGENDER ATHLETE POLICY

President Donald Trump told Maine Gov. Janet Mills her state needs to comply with an executive order on transgender athletes in school sports during a Feb. 21, 2025, event at the White House. (Reuters Photos | Pool)

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Trump signed the executive order barring men from women’s sports earlier this month, which directs federal agencies to review grants, programs and policies that fail to align with efforts to block male participation in women’s sports “as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.” The order mandates strict enforcement of Title IX and threatens to revoke federal funding from noncompliant educational institutions and athletic organizations.

After the order, several other blue states indicated they would not be complying with it, including California and Minnesota.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Maine Department of Education for comment.

Jamie Joseph is a U.S. Politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering transgender and culture issues, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and stateside legislative developments.

March 2, 2025
Department of Education probing some Virginia school districts over gender identity policies

The U.S. Department of Education is launching an investigation into several school districts in northern Virginia over allegations of refusing to follow President Donald Trump’s executive order banning gender identity policies.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights opened an enforcement investigation into the school districts, according to Fox 5 DC.

The districts include Arlington County Public Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools and Prince William County Public Schools.

This comes after the conservative nonprofit America First Legal filed a complaint accusing several schools in Virginia of keeping policies promoting gender identity in place in violation of the president’s mandate.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WARNS THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUST REMOVE DEI POLICIES OR LOSE FEDERAL FUNDING

The U.S. Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

The complaint argues that the districts are violating Title IX of the higher education act of 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and Trump’s executive order titled “Ending Racial Indoctrination in K-12 Schools,” which called on some federal agencies to develop a plan to eliminate the “instruction, advancement or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology” in K-12 schools receiving federal funding.

America First Legal stresses that the federal government prohibits “instruction, advancement or promotion of gender ideology” — as mentioned in Trump’s order — and argues that allowing biological boys to use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms is covered in this language.

TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON SAYS SHUTTING DOWN DOE WOULD ‘REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION’

The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The group described the districts named in the complaint as radical and lawless and that the districts would rather “deny biology than teach it and one family agrees.”

Arlington Public Schools said it stands firmly behind its non-discrimination policies and remains committed to providing safe and welcoming schools for all students, according to Fox 5 DC. The district said it follows all federal laws with respect to Title IX.

Prince William County Public Schools said it will “cooperate with the investigation and remains committed to providing a welcoming, nurturing learning environment where all of our students feel safe and supported mentally, physically, and emotionally.”

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on February 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Alexandria City Public Schools said it “will respond to this investigation in accordance with applicable law.” Loudoun County Public Schools made a similar statement.

Fairfax County Public Schools said its policies “align with state and federal anti-discrimination laws and binding court precedent.”

February 17, 2025
Agriculture Dept. announces millions in cuts including $230K for ‘Brazilian forest and gender consultant’

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on Friday that the department has terminated nearly 80 contracts, including for a Brazilian forest and gender consultant and a Central American gender assessment consultant.

Rollins said the 78 contracts active under the Biden administration totaled more than $132 million, and more than 1,000 contracts are still under review for potential termination.

The findings come after a review from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, which Rollins said will help the Agriculture Department to stop wasteful spending.

“I welcome DOGE’s efforts at USDA because we know that its work makes us better, stronger, faster, and more efficient. I will expect full access and transparency to DOGE in the days and weeks to come,” Rollins said.

DOGE SAYS IT DUG UP $1.9 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY ‘MISPLACED’ BY BIDEN ADMIN

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks to members of the press outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 14, 2025. (Getty Images)

The $132 million in terminated contracts includes $374,000 for a diversity, equity, and inclusion onboarding specialist, $254,000 for diversity dialogue workshops, $298,000 for international development for historically underrepresented communities, $229,000 for a Brazilian forest and gender consultant, $121,000 for a women and forest carbon initiative mentorship program and $29,000 for a Central American gender assessment consultant.

Rollins previously issued a memo to officially rescind all diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs to instead focus on unity, equality and meritocracy.

Now, the Agriculture Department has canceled 948 employee trainings, 758 of which focused solely on DEI. The other canceled trainings covered topics including environmental justice and gender ideology.

Brooke Rollins speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Getty Images)

Another terminated contract was an “African and Middle Eastern and Latin America and Caribbean Regions for training, education, and access to professional and economic opportunities for women and increasing their participation in climate change adaptation activities” totaling $91,000.

There was also a neighborhood electric vehicle utility van for $33,000 and a Hawaii conference room rental for a 100-person Agriculture Department meeting on biodiversity for $11,000.

The Agriculture Department also cut $277 million for media contracts, including subscriptions to POLITICO Pro, a news and information service that offers resources such as tracking legislation. POLITICO said the overwhelming majority of subscribers to POLITICO Pro were in the private sector.

TRUMP AGRICULTURE PICK CONFIRMED AS PRESIDENT RACKS UP CABINET WINS

A sign of the Department of Agriculture is seen on the USDA entrance in Washington D.C., on December 18, 2022. (Celal Gunes / Anadolu Agency)

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Federal agencies and lawmakers, including Republicans in Congress, have been subscribed to POLITICO Pro, but the White House recently announced that the administration would be eliminating subscriptions to some news organizations as part of a plan to reduce government spending.

The Agriculture Department, Rollins said, is also seeking to optimize its workforce by eliminating positions that are no longer necessary, requiring its workers to return to the office and relocating employees into the nation’s heartland.

February 15, 2025
Olympic boxer, who was caught in gender controversy, vows to fight boxing org’s lawsuit

Imane Khelif, the Olympic gold medalist who was in the middle of a gender controversy at the Paris Games during the summer, vowed to fight back against allegations from the International Boxing Association (IBA).

The IBA said earlier in the week it will file criminal complaints against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the U.S., France and Switzerland over its decision to allow Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting to compete in the Games despite disqualifications in its own tournament. World Boxing is the governing body for the Olympics.

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Imane Khelif of Team Algeria celebrates victory against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary after the Women’s 66kg Quarter-final round match on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on Aug. 3, 2024 in Paris. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Both Khelif and Lin won gold medals at the Olympics.

“For eight years, I have fought for my dream – eyes years of sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance to stand on the Olympic stage and represent my country with pride,” the Algerian boxer said in a statement posted on Instagram. “I have earned my place, and I will continue to stand firm in the face of any challenge.

“For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorized, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading of and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CALLS ON NCAA, NFHS TO STRIP AWARDS, RECORDS ‘MISAPPROPRIATED’ BY TRANS ATHLETES

Algeria’s Imane Khelif reacts prior to the match against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena on Aug. 3, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“The International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda. This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport.”

The IBA cited President Donald Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes to justify the criminal complaints.

The IOC reiterated again that Khelif and Lin were not transgender.

Imane Khelif of Team Algeria readies to compete against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary in the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte, France, on Aug. 3, 2024. (Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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“The two female athletes mentioned by IBA are not transgender athletes,” the organization said Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Social Security saves big bucks by axing ‘X’ gender marker

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., tells ‘The Evening Edit’ how she pushed back against reporters in defense of her resolution that would bar men who identify as women from using women’s bathrooms on Capitol Hill.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Wednesday that the Social Security Administration’s move to terminate a contract dealing with the “Gender X” marker on public-facing applications will save over $1 million in taxpayer funds.

“The Social Security Administration has terminated its contract for the “Gender X initiative marker” and removed all references to gender ideology from public-facing applications,” DOGE wrote on X. “This saves > $1M and is in accordance with the President’s Executive Order…”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office aimed at shifting the language used by the federal government in documentation, including a move to replace the term “gender” with “sex” on official documents.

“The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system,” the order signed by Trump states. “Basing Federal policy on truth is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself.”

‘SAVE GIRLS SPORTS’ SHIRTS BLASTED AS ‘TRANSPHOBIC’ BY SF CHRONICLE CULTURE CRITIC: ‘NEXT MAGA HAT?’

The move also reversed changes made during the Biden administration, including giving Americans who do not identify with either of the two biological sexes the option to mark documents such as passports with an “X” instead of “male” or “female.”

Late last month, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were told not to make a final decision on any application that would produce a document with an “X” marker for gender.

Social Security appears to be the next agency to make modifications when it comes to a person identifying sex on an application.

GOP LAWMAKER SCRAPS WITH DEMOCRAT IN HEARING OVER TRANSGENDER ‘SLUR,’ BATHROOM RIGHTS: ‘NOT GOING TO HAVE IT’

A giant transgender flag unfurled outside the Supreme Court. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The Social Security Administration did not respond to FOX Business’ request for comment on the matter.

After learning of the savings, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. weighed in on X.

“$1,000,000 people,” she wrote. “Government waste at its finest- and this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

ELON MUSK DEFENDS REINSTATING RULE AGAINST MISGENDERING, SAYS IT’S ONLY FOR ‘REPEATED, TARGETED HARASSMENT’

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The South Carolina Republican made headlines in November with a bill to ban biological males from women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol, which was inspired by the election of Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first openly transgender person elected to the House.

Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph and Michael Lee contributed to this report.

February 6, 2025
DNC lambasted for ‘beyond parody’ leadership vote that included singing, gender rules: ‘can’t stop laughing’

Conservatives on social media are having a field day mocking the Democratic National Committee for featuring a handful of “beyond parody” moments during its leadership vote over the weekend, which critics say underscores that Democrats have “learned absolutely nothing” from their 2024 election losses.

The DNC voted to elect Minnestota Democrat Party leader Ken Martin as its chair on Saturday, after eight candidates vied to succeed Jaime Harrison. Following the Democratic Party’s losses in November, when Republicans reclaimed the White House and Senate and retained control of the House, the DNC’s chair vote serves as a fresh slate for the party as they ramp up strategies and fundraising for the next election cycle.

Conservatives and critics took to social media over the weekend to highlight what they viewed as the most out of touch speeches and comments from party leaders, including the election of left-wing activist David Hogg as one of its three co-chairs. Hogg is an outspoken gun control advocate and the co-founder of March for Our Lives, a gun control group that was formed after the Parkland school shooting in 2018.

DEMOCRATS ELECT NEW CHAIR WHO BRANDED TRUMP A ‘TRAITOR’ AS PARTY AIMS TO REBOUND FROM DISASTROUS 2024 ELECTION

David Hogg, March For Our Lives co-founder, delivers remarks at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 26, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“DNC Vice Chair David Hogg has some legitimately INSANE views that are wildly out of step with the American people. Good to see that the Democrat Party has learned absolutely nothing,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted to X.

Hogg, a Parkland school shooting survivor, said from the DNC vote in Maryland that the party will put Republicans “on the defense” in the coming days and reclaim lost political ground.

“After Parkland, our country was in a similar moment – where we had a Republican trifecta in Washington,” the 24-year-old said during the DNC election. “We went on the offense, put the Republicans on the defense, and we won. That’s what we need to do right now.”

‘IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY’: DNC CHAIR CANDIDATES REVEAL HOW THEY WILL REBOUND AFTER DISASTROUS 2024 RESULTS

“We’re going to show people that the reason people should vote for us isn’t just because we’re not Republicans – it’s because we’re damn Democrats. We give a s—,” he pledged. “And we deliver. Now it’s time to rebuild the party and to rethink the way we’ve been doing things.”

Candidates for DNC chair debate at Georgetown University, Jan. 30, 2025. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Amid the hours-long vote and gathering of Democrats on Saturday in Maryland, former DNC chief Harrison announced that the elections must be gender-balanced, including when a non-binary candidate is in the running, sparking condemnation from conservatives.

DEMOCRATS RALLY AROUND LIGHTENING ROD ISSUE AT FINAL DNC CHAIR DEBATE

“We have an amazing group of new officers. So far, as you know, our three at large vice chair positions are used to ensure gender balance among seven offices: treasury secretary, national finance chair and vice chair for civic engagement and voter participation and the three at large vice chairs. Our rules specify that when we have a non-binary candidate or officer, the non-binary individual is counted as neither male nor female, and the remaining six offices must be gender balanced with the results of the previous four elections. Our elected officers are currently two male and two female. In order to be gender balanced… we must elect one male, one female, and one person of any gender.”

Before the election kicked off on Saturday, the eight candidates had traveled to Georgetown University for a forum co-hosted by MSNBC on Thursday, where they declared “racism and misogyny” compounded former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss.

“So, I’m going to have a show of hands. How many of you believe that racism and misogyny played a role in Vice President Harris’ defeat?” MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart asked the eight candidates.

Former DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison, left, stands next to Ken Martin, who reacts after being elected the new chairman at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

“That’s good. You all passed,” Capehart said after all candidates raised their hands in agreement.

Republican lawmakers and pundits pounced on clips of the exchange, including Sen. Tommy Tubervile, R-Ala., who quipped that the GOP will expand its majority in the midterms.

Singing also broke out both during the forum and the vote. Dr. Quintessa Hathaway was in the running for chair and belted out a song with the lyrics, “You fight on, when the government is doing you wrong, you fight on” during the Thursday forum. She also sang another song ahead of the vote on Saturday vowing, “We shall overcome.”

FIRST ON FOX: AFTER 2024 ELECTION SETBACKS, DEMOCRATS EYE RURAL VOTERS

Harrison was also spotted on camera singing on Saturday, delivering a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.”

DEMOCRATS’ HOUSE CAMPAIGN CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS HER PLAN TO WIN BACK MAJORITY

DNC members also “acknowledged” during the vote that the U.S. was “built on indigenous lands.”

Ken Martin, who previously slammed Trump as a “traitor” who should be prosecuted for treason, celebrated his win on Saturday, vowing to combat Trump and the Republican Party.

“We have one team, one team, the Democratic Party,” Martin said following his victory. “The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.”

Newly elected DNC Chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote in National Harbor, Maryland, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)

“We need to go on offense,” Martin said. “We’re going to go out there and take this fight to Donald Trump and the Republicans.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC on Sunday for comment on the negative backlash over the gathering, but did not immediately receive a reply.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

February 2, 2025
LGBT activists mobilize to challenge Trump’s ‘extreme gender ideology’ executive orders

LGBT activists and groups are already mobilizing to block gender-related executive orders President Donald Trump signed since taking office to fulfill one of his key campaign promises to crack down on “gender ideology extremism.” And more legal challenges are expected in the coming weeks.

The executive orders, signed in late January, include a reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a ban on federal funding for sex changes for minors and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only “two sexes,” male and female, in official standard of conduct.

“This ban betrays fundamental American values of equal opportunity and judging people on their merit,” Jennifer Levi, director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), said in a statement about the trans military ban.

“It slams the door on qualified patriots who meet every standard and want nothing more than to serve their country, simply to appease a political agenda.”

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY

President Trump’s executive orders on transgender issues, including military service, are drawing legal pushback from activists. (20th Air Force/Getty)

GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), were among the first groups to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for its military ban. The lawsuit, Talbott v. Trump, was brought forward on equal protection grounds by six active-duty service members and two individuals attempting to enlist, according to the groups’ announcement.

The plaintiffs include a Sailor of the Year honoree, a Bronze Star recipient and several who were awarded meritorious service medals. They were identified as U.S. Army Reservist Lt. Nicolas Talbott, Army Maj. Erica Vandal, Army Sgt. First Class Kate Cole, Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, Navy Ensign Dany Danridge, Air Force Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, Koda Nature and Cael Neary. The latter two are civilians who are seeking to enlist in the military.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’: ‘NO EXCEPTIONS’

The Supreme Court is weighing a challenge to a Tennessee law banning transgender procedures for minors. (Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images | AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Another lawsuit, filed by a transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments, is challenging Trump’s executive order that ends medical transgender treatments – such as hormones, sex changes and grooming accommodations – for federal prisoners.

The unnamed inmate, who goes by “Maria Moe” in court documents and is represented by GLAD Law, NCLR and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, is claiming Trump and the Bureau of Prisons are violating the Fifth and Eighth amendments and claims to be “at imminent risk of losing access to the medical care she needs to treat her gender dysphoria.”

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole in Boston temporarily blocked BOP officials from transferring “Maria Moe” to a men’s prison, according to a ruling released by the inmate’s attorney Thursday. The temporary restraining order was issued Sunday, the same day the suit was filed.

Prison officials are expected to keep the inmate in the women’s prison general population and maintain her transgender medical treatments, NBC first reported.

CRACKING DOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: TRUMP ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS, RESTRICTS FACILITY USE

President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning openly transgender personnel serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s other executive orders, too, especially Trump’s immigration-related policies. More are expected in the coming weeks.

A memo released Wednesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management provided guidance on directing federal agencies to acknowledge that women are biologically female and men are biologically male, Reuters reported. Trump said last week federal funds would not be used to promote “gender ideology.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the litigation but did not hear back before publication.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

February 1, 2025
Trans inmate sues Trump admin over ‘two-sexes’ order halting money for gender therapy

A transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments has launched the first lawsuit against the Trump administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order that puts an end to medical transgender treatments for federal prisoners.

Trump’s executive order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” prohibits federal funds from being “expended for any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.” The order also declares there are only “two-sexes.”

The unnamed inmate, who goes by “Maria Moe” in court documents and is represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, has been on medical hormones since they were a teenager and has not been housed in a men’s facility since their conviction.

STATE AGS WARN RETAIL GIANT COSTCO FOR DOUBLING DOWN ON ‘DISCRIMINATORY’ DEI

President Donald Trump’s executive order puts an end to medical transgender treatments for federal prisoners. (Getty Images)

Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says.

The lawsuit, first reported by Reuters, claims Trump’s executive order will lead to transgender women “who are incarcerated in federal prisons” being “unlawfully transferred to men’s facilities and denied medically necessary healthcare.”

“If Maria Moe is transferred to a men’s facility, she will not be safe,” the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Sunday, claims. “She will be at an extremely high risk of harassment, abuse, violence, and sexual assault. She may be subject to strip searches by male correctional officers.”

“She may be forced to shower in full view of men who are incarcerated. And she will predictably experience worsening gender dysphoria,” the complaint continued.

Moe is claiming Trump and the BOP are violating the Fifth and Eighth Amendments and claims they are “at imminent risk of losing access to the medical care she needs to treat her gender dysphoria.”

TRUMP LOOKS TO ENFORCE TRANS INMATE CRACKDOWN AS NEW ACTING FEDERAL PRISONS CHIEF TAPPED

President-elect Donald Trump arrives prior to his inauguration at the United States Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Melina Mara – Pool/Getty Images)

Prior to Trump’s reversal of BOP gender dysphoria policies, the BOP began funding transgender surgical procedures for transgender inmates in December 2022, with Donna Langan – formerly known as Peter Kevin Langan – becoming the first federal prisoner to undergo transition on the taxpayer dollar. Langan was convicted in 1997 for involvement in a series of armed bank robberies across the Midwest during the 1990s. Langan was a leader of the Aryan Republican Army, a White supremacist group that carried out these robberies to fund their activities, according to court documents.

Langan’s gender transition followed years of advocacy and legal action, including a landmark settlement in 2021, when the BOP agreed to provide gender transition surgery to Cristina Nichole Iglesias, who was convicted in 1994 for threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction against British officials.

TRUMP’S ‘TWO SEXES’ EXECUTIVE ORDER COMES ON HEELS OF SCOTUS ACCEPTING ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO LGBT AGENDA

A New York Times column featured the perspectives of gender destransitioners and gender-affirming care providers who claim that leftwing activists are pushing sex changes on kids too aggressively. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

In the past year, multiple lawsuits have been filed over the denial of gender transition treatments for incarcerated individuals. Autumn Cordellioné, a transgender woman serving 55 years in Indiana for the murder of their 11-month-old stepdaughter, sued the state for refusing to conduct transgender surgery.

In April 2024, the Biden administration’s Department of Justice sued Utah’s Department of Corrections, alleging it created unnecessary barriers to gender dysphoria treatment for inmates.

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In September 2024, Reiyn Keohane, a transgender woman imprisoned in Florida, filed suit against the state’s Department of Corrections. Keohane alleged officials violated the Eighth Amendment for discontinuing hormone therapy and access to female clothing and grooming products, despite Keohane’s prior diagnosis and treatment for gender dysphoria.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Moe’s attorneys, the White House and BOP.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

January 28, 2025
Trump signs orders banning ‘radical gender ideology,’ DEI in the military

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President Donald Trump signed a handful of executive orders on Monday, including two banning “radical gender ideology” and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from all branches of the U.S. military.

Trump stated that both orders, titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” and “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” should be in the process of being implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the secretary of homeland security within 30 days.

Under “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” Trump states that DEI programs have undermined “leadership, merit and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness” and have “violated Americans’ consciences by engaging in invidious race and sex discrimination.”

“No individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color or creed,” the order states, adding that no branch should operate on race or sex preference.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’: ‘NO EXCEPTIONS’

President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Monday related to the military that will ban “radical gender ideology” and DEI initiatives from all branches and their academies. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

The order includes an internal review conducted by Hegseth within 90 days to document all instances of discrimination or promotion based on race or sex.

It also includes banning all “un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist and irrational theories” from being taught in the Armed Forces and educational institutions operated or controlled by the military. Those theories include “gender ideology,” divisive concepts surrounding race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating and the idea that “America’s founding documents are racist or sexist.”

Instructors hired to teach at military academies will also be carefully reviewed to ensure “alignment with this order.”

“In addition, these institutions shall be required to teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history,” the order states.

Progress related to this order must be submitted by Hegseth and the homeland security secretary to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy within 180 days to track implementation and to find recommendations, if any, to fulfill the order’s objective.

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The order “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” states that the U.S. military has one mission – “to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force.”

Trump stated in his executive order that all service members are required to be at peak mental and physical fitness, which eliminates those struggling with gender identity. (iStock)

Trump states in the order that the mission cannot be met if the military is accommodating “political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion.” He also said longstanding DoD policy says service members must be free of medical conditions and physical defects that would require excessive treatment or hospitalization.

The “hormonal and surgical medical interventions” involved when an individual claims to be a gender differing from their sex do not meet the “rigorous standards” required of service members, including the commitment to being honorable, truthful and disciplined, the order states.

Fox News Digital previously reported that while exact figures are not publicly available, there are an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 transgender people serving in the military.

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“For the sake of our Nation and the patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve it, military service must be reserved for those mentally and physically fit for duty,” the order states. “The Armed Forces must adhere to high mental and physical health standards to ensure our military can deploy, fight, and win, including in austere conditions and without the benefit of routine medical treatment or special provisions.”

The DoD reportedly spent approximately $15 million on surgical and nonsurgical gender-affirming care for 1,892 active duty service members between Jan. 1, 2016, and May 14, 2021, per the Congressional Research Service.

The order also states that males and females are not allowed to use or share sleeping, changing or bathing facilities unless it is absolutely necessary during an operation.

The two executive orders are aimed at returning the focus of all military branches and corresponding academies to “lethality and force readiness.” (iStock)

Hegseth was already ordered to immediately end preferred pronoun usage within the DoD, and within 30 days, he must identify what is needed to implement the above order and submit a report summarizing the steps to the president.

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The orders are two of many things Trump promised to change during his 2024 campaign and fall in line with the hundreds of executive actions issued during his first week in office.

January 28, 2025