Texans are applauding President Donald Trump’s executive order putting an end to radical gender ideology within the federal government and restoring the “biological truth” that there are only two sexes: male and female.
The executive order is entitled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
Conservative activist Tracy Shannon—an outspoken critic of harmful “transgender” ideology and a well-known advocate within the Texas Legislature—called Trump’s executive order “great news.”
But she cautions the federal order does not completely kill the trans political movement, and work is still needed at the state and local levels.
“We need the legislation he is calling for to close the loopholes and put the nail in the coffin of this insidious and cancerous ideology,” Shannon posted on X.
“It isn’t going to just go away overnight,” she added. “It is not over yet.”
The executive order, signed by Trump on his first day back in office along with dozens of other orders, states:
Efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, and well-being. 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.
Basing Federal policy on truth is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself.
“It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” Trump’s order reads. “Under my direction, the Executive Branch will enforce all sex-protective laws to promote this reality…”
The order defines “sex” as “an individual’s immutable biological classification,” either male or female, that does not include the concept of “gender identity.”
All federal agencies and employees are ordered to use the term “sex” and not “gender” in all applicable federal policies and documents.
“Women” and “men” are defined as adult human females and males.
“Gender identity” is exposed as “disconnected from biological reality and sex;” therefore, it “does not provide a meaningful basis for identification and cannot be recognized as a replacement for sex.”
President Trump’s executive order also:
— Prohibits using federal funds to promote gender ideology.
— Requires all government-issued identification documents and personnel records to accurately reflect the holder’s sex.
— Orders federal agencies to remove all internal and external statements, policies, regulations, forms, or communications that promote gender ideology, and to only list “male” or “female” on agency forms that require an individual’s sex.
— Protects the right to single-sex spaces designated by sex and not self-identity, including intimate spaces, rape-crisis shelters, and prisons.
— Dissolves the White House Gender Policy Council.
— Directs all agency heads to rescind “guidance documents” that promote “transgender” ideology—including several Department of Education documents that pushed schools to reinterpret Title IX and implement “inclusive” policies that cater to “gender identity” at the expense of girls.
Williamson County GOP Chairman Michelle Evans, who leads a local chapter of the advocacy group Independent Women’s Forum, also praised Trump’s executive order.
“Trump took decisive action to reverse the erasure of women in language and policy, adopting the verbiage of the Women’s Bill of Rights in one of his Inauguration Day orders,” Evans told Texas Scorecard.
“This same bill was authored by State Rep. Troxclair in the 88th Legislative Session but killed by inaction,” said Evans. “She has refiled this legislation for the 89th, and failure to pass it would be an affront to Texas women and girls.”
Evans called for a hearing on House Bill 229 by State Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R–Lakeway), which defines male and female and requires governmental entities that collect sex-identity data to identify individuals as either male or female.
Shannon said Texas needs to close all “loopholes” in the laws that enable people to falsify their sex on documents; to pass laws preventing state money from going to any entity that doesn’t protect women’s sports; and to end the practice of placing men in female prisons, shelters, and other spaces.
“It is hard to protect female spaces when the government has given men a golden ticket to our spaces by allowing court orders to be sufficient to change sex,” said Shannon. “Until no men have ID, passports, birth certificates, or other documents stating they are female, there really won’t be any female-only spaces.”
Trump’s executive order calls for a proposed federal bill to codify the order’s definitions within 30 days.
Each federal agency head is directed to submit an implementation update to the president within 120 days.
The full executive order, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” is found here.
A list of all presidential actions can be found here.