On Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” where he defined assigned sex in the eyes of the government. According to the US Government, “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.” The statement then goes on to say that sex does not include the concept of gender identity and that gender ideology is inconsistent and forces institutions to believe this to be true. To the government, gender identity isn’t a useful way to identify someone and cannot be used as a replacement for someone’s sex.
Since this order, many federal agencies have started to incorporate changes. For example, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions (EEOC) has mentioned that they are “returning to its mission of protecting women from sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination in the workplace by rolling back the Biden administration’s gender identity agenda.” This included removing the pronoun app and ending the use of the “X” gender marker. Another example is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken the stance that “there are only two sexes: male and female. HHS will use these definitions and promote policies acknowledging that women are biologically female and men are biologically male.”
This news has left a lot of people shocked, especially those who identify as transgender. Bellevue College is a diverse community, with people of many different backgrounds. BC’s LGTBQ+ Resource Center focuses on creating a “safe, inclusive, and affirming environment at Bellevue College for students, staff, and faculty of all identities across the gender, sexual, and romantic spectrums.” At this center, they strive to create a space where people can feel safe to explore their own identities and have a place where they can be comfortable. In light of recent news, if you feel the urge to visit the center, please feel free to do so.
The LGTBQ+ Resource center is open on Monday through Friday from 8:30am-5:00pm in Building C, Room 205.
