No one who has been paying attention over the last two years should be surprised to learn that Trump administration officials are completing a policy proposal that would more conservatively define gender under Title IX and have implications for transgender students on college campuses, says one academic who has added his voice to the early chorus of critics.
“People should have expected this,” said Dr. Ravi Perry, an associate professor of political science and chair at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The president “has never wavered on this,” Perry added, citing a list of actions the administration has taken that appear to be hostile to the rights of transgendered individuals, including opposition to easier public-bathroom access for transgender persons, transgender individuals serving in military combat, transgender self-identification on the federal census and failure to host a White House event in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month.
In fact, Perry said, President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have consistently favored policies that hinder marginalized Americans and work against Title IX-protected groups, even as colleges and universities try to make their campuses more accommodating for LGBTQ students.
“This is just another iteration. Trump is doing everything he said he would do, and they feel that it is well within their authority to move forward with this change. And let’s be clear: this is a core agenda item of Trump’s base,” Perry added.
But the controversial policy proposal – spearheaded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and first reported Sunday by the New York Times – is not a fait accompli. After it is introduced, there will be a customary public comment period before any final recommendations are made.
According to the Times, which said it had obtained and reviewed a draft copy of the proposal that is circulating throughout the executive branch, the administration wants to legally define gender as female or male, unchangeable and based on the genitals an individual was born with. Quoting the memo, the Times continued: “The sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.”
