One of President Trump’s recently-signed executive orders has raised questions about the future of transgender women in prison.

On his first day back in office this week, Trump signed what’s titled the ‘Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government’ executive order, along with several others.

The order alleges that people having been trying to ‘eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, and well-being’.

With this in mind, Trump’s controversial order has been created to ‘defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male’.

There are several key parts of the order, one being that the Trump Administration will only accept that there are two genders — male and female.

“These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” it adds.

Because of this, transgender women who are still seen as male (as per Trump’s new executive order) will no longer be able to be housed in female prisons.

President Trump signed a series of executive orders when returned to office (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

A clause of the order that looks at ‘Privacy in Intimate Spaces’ explains: “The Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that males are not detained in women’s prisons or housed in women’s detention center.”

While some people have applauded the change, others have expressed their concerns for the LGBTQ+ community.

Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the New York Times: “There will be rapes and physical assaults because of this policy.

“It’s also terrible for prison officials, who right now have the authority to use discretion about what makes the most sense for the safety and security of the facility.”

Some have expressed concerns about trans prisoners in light of the change (Getty Stock Image)

On the other hand, the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) have hailed the order as a ‘victory’.

“WoLF has been fighting to get men out of women’s prisons for years, and we are thrilled to see the specific inclusion of women’s prisons in this order,” the organization penned in a statement shared to its website.

“The order directs the Attorney General to oversee the amendment of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) regulations to ensure men are not housed in women’s prisons. This is a major victory since PREA anticipates the housing of men in women’s facilities under certain circumstances, and this has presented a major issue for advocates of single-sex prisons.”

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.

 The White House website states: “To fulfil those responsibilities, I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.

“My Administration must also review sensitive intelligence related to those concerns and evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date.”

The ban has subsequently been paused ‘for a period of 75 days’ to allow Trump’s administration to ‘determine the appropriate course forward’.

Trump has paused the TikTok ban (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Official policy that there are ‘only two genders’

The order’s title reads: “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”

The policy recognizes ‘two sexes, male and female’ and states them as not being ‘changeable’ but ‘grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.

“Each agency and all Federal employees shall enforce laws governing sex-based rights, protections, opportunities, and accommodations to protect men and women as biologically distinct sexes.

“Agencies shall remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology, and shall cease issuing such statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications or other messages. Agency forms that require an individual’s sex shall list male or female, and shall not request gender identity. Agencies shall take all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology.”

The order states the US will only recognize ‘male’ and ‘female’ (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Restoring’ death penalty

The order accuses Biden’s government and judges who oppose capital punishment of ‘efforts to subvert and undermine capital punishment defy the laws of [the] nation, make a mockery of justice, and insult the victims of these horrible crimes’.

Trump’s order states: “The Government’s most solemn responsibility is to protect its citizens from abhorrent acts, and my Administration will not tolerate efforts to stymie and eviscerate the laws that authorize capital punishment against those who commit horrible acts of violence against American citizens.”

The policy adds: “It is the policy of the United States to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences.”

Trump’s order seeks to ‘restore’ the death penalty (Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

‘Ending radical and wasteful government diversity, equity and inclusion’ programs

The order states: “The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military.

“[…] Pursuant to Executive Order 13985 and follow-on orders, nearly every Federal agency and entity submitted ‘Equity Action Plans’ to detail the ways that they have furthered DEIs infiltration of the Federal Government. The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today.

“Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great.”

Trump’s administration also plans to scrap ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ programs (KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Reversing 78 of Biden’s ‘harmful’ executive actions

The executive order accuses the previous administration of embedding ‘deeply unpopular, inflationary, illegal and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government’.

It continues: “The injection of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) into our institutions has corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy.

“Orders to open the borders have endangered the American people and dissolved Federal, State, and local resources that should be used to benefit the American people.

“Climate extremism has exploded inflation and overburdened businesses with regulation.”

The order accuses Biden’s administration of ‘radical practices’ (Mandel Ngan – Pool/Getty Images)

Pardoning Capitol Rioters

Under the section titled ‘Ending the Weaponization of the federal government,’ the White House’s page states: “The Department of Justice even jailed an individual for posting a political meme. And while the Department of Justice has ruthlessly prosecuted more than 1,500 individuals associated with January 6, and simultaneously dropped nearly all cases against BLM rioters. “

Trump accuses the past administration of ‘inflicting political pain’ rather than ‘pursuing actual justice or legitimate government objectives’ against Americans who ‘spoke out against previous administration’s actions and other Americans who were simply exercising constitutionally protected rights’.

The order links to a presidential action pardoning multiple individuals ‘convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to time served as of January 20, 2025’ alongside granting ‘a full, complete or unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events’ on the same day too.

The White House’s website states: “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”

Free speech and federal censorship

The White House’s website states: “Enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference.

“Over the last four years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve. Under the guise of combatting ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ and ‘malinformation,’ the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate.

:Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.”

The White House website says the first amendment ‘enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference’ (John Keeble/Getty Images)

Blocking refugees

The order suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program ‘until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States’.

“The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security may jointly determine to admit aliens to the United States as refugees on a case-by-case basis, in their discretion, but only so long as they determine that the entry of such aliens as refugees is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States.” it says.

Limiting birthright citizenship

If a ‘person’s mother was unlawfully present in the US and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth’ or ‘when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary (such as, but not limited to, visiting the United States under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program or visiting on a student, work, or tourist visa) and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth’ then the person is not ‘automatically’ given the ‘priceless and profound gift’ of ‘the United States citizenship‘.

The order is suspending the US Refugee Admissions Program (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

‘Securing’ borders

The order states: “Over the last four years, the United States has endured a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level. Millions of illegal aliens from nations and regions all around the world successfully entered the United States where they are now residing, including potential terrorists, foreign spies, members of cartels, gangs, and violent transnational criminal organizations, and other hostile actors with malicious intent.”

The order calls upon the Federal Government to ‘act with urgency and strength’ to secure the border and ‘protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement’ including constructing ‘temporary and permanent physical barriers’ and deploying personnel.

‘Protecting American people against invasion’

The order accuses Biden’s administration of letting ‘millions of illegal aliens’ cross the borders.

“Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans. Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities.” it says.

“Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local levels.

“Enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States. The American people deserve a Federal Government that puts their interests first and a Government that understands its sacred obligation to prioritize the safety, security, and financial and economic well-being of Americans.”

The order calls for the Federal government to ‘act with urgency and strength’ when it comes to securing borders (John Moore/Getty Images)

‘Protecting the US from foreign terrorists’

The order seeks to tighten the ‘visa-issuance process’ to ‘ensure that those aliens approved for admission into the US do not intend to harm Americans’ or the ‘national interests’.

“More importantly, the United States must identify them before their admission or entry into the United States.”

‘Protecting the territorial integrity’ of the US

The order states plans to ‘seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities’.

Cartels named as ‘foreign terrorist organizations’

The order states: “It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States.”

United States foreign aid

US foreign development assistance will be paused for 90 days and no assistance will be given until ascertained that its ‘fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the US’ and is ‘aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values’.

Trump’s administration plans to name drug cartels as ‘foreign terrorist organizations’ (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

‘America first policy’

The order’s purpose and policy states: “From this day forward, the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests and always put America and American citizens first.

“As soon as practicable, the Secretary of State shall issue guidance bringing the Department of State’s policies, programs, personnel, and operations in line with an America First foreign policy, which puts America and its interests first.”

‘Restoring accountability to policy-influencing positions’ in federal workforce

The White House’s website states: “Article II of the United States Constitution vests the President with the sole and exclusive authority over the executive branch, including the authority to manage the Federal workforce to ensure effective execution of Federal law.

“A critical aspect of this executive function is the responsibility to maintain professionalism and accountability within the civil service.

“This accountability is sorely lacking today. “

Punishing ‘election interference’

The order accuses ’51 former intelligence officials’ of coordinating with ‘the Biden campaign’ to ‘issue a letter discrediting the reporting that President Joseph R. Biden’s son had abandoned his laptop at a computer repair business’.

It then lists a number of individuals, revoking ‘any current or active clearances’ and reinforced anyone who holds ‘government-issued security clearances should not use their clearance status to influence US elections’.

One order accuses ’51 former intelligence officials’ of coordinating with the ‘Biden campaign’ (MELINA MARA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

US leaving the World Health Organization (WHO)

The order accuses who of ‘mishandling’ the COVID-19 pandemic alongside ‘other global health crises’.

The executive order continues: “The WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments.

“China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO.”

Withdrawing US from Paris climate agreement

The executive order argues the US has ended up involved in ‘international agreements and initiatives that do not reflect [the] country’s values or [its] contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives’.

“Moreover, these agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people,” it states.

Subsequently, it states its intentions for The United States Ambassador to the United Nations [to] immediately submit formal written notification of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’.

Trump accused WHO of ‘mishandling’ Covid-19 (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

National energy emergency

The order accuses the ‘previous administration’ of having ‘driven [the] Nation into a national emergency, where a precariously inadequate and intermittent energy supply, and an increasingly unreliable grid,’ the US now ‘requi[ring] swift and decisive action’.

Assessments will look at transportation and infrastructure alongside endangered species and the nation’s energy supply and clean water act.

‘Unleashing American energy’

The order accuses ‘burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations’ of ‘imped[ing] the development of’ America’s ‘abundance of energy and natural resources’ and limiting ‘the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens’.

“These high energy costs devastate American consumers by driving up the cost of transportation, heating, utilities, farming, and manufacturing, while weakening our national security,” it adds.

One order is about ‘restoring’ American ‘greatness’ (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

‘Department of Government Efficiency’

“This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

‘Unleashing’ Alaska’s natural resources

The order plans to use Alaska’s ‘vast lands and resources’ for the benefit of the US, tapping into its ‘abundant’ supply of ‘energy, mineral, timber, and seafood’ to ‘raise the prosperity of our citizens while helping to enhance [the] Nation’s economic and national security for generations to come’ by creating ‘high-quality jobs’ and delivering ‘price relief’.

‘Restoring names that honor American greatness’

For example, the ‘renaming of Mount McKinley’ and the Gulf of America. The order states: “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes.

“The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”

Donald Trump officially declared that there are ‘only two genders’ as he returned to the Oval Office, but the wording of his executive order could come back to bite him.

The executive order, signed on the first day of Trump’s second term in office, is presented as an order which will ‘defend women from gender ideology extremism and restore biological truth to the federal government’.

The order claims ‘ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex’ have ‘used legal and other socially coercive means to permit men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women’.

Trump signed his executive order on his first day in office (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Branding this as ‘wrong’, Trump’s order states: “Accordingly, my Administration will defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.”

The order goes on to give definitions for the terms ‘female’ and ‘male’, but in doing so, the order actually suggests that every human is a female.

It states: “Female” means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell.”

If your biology classes have been long forgotten, then allow me to explain.

For the first few weeks after being conceived, all embryos look the same in a state called ‘unisex’. This state forms the blueprint for female bodies, and it’s not until about six weeks after conception that most people with an XY genotype will follow a male developmental process.

Twitter users quickly picked up on the inaccuracies (X)

A report published by the National Library of Medicine explains: “All human individuals—whether they have an XX, an XY, or an atypical sex chromosome combination—begin development from the same starting point. During early development the gonads of the fetus remain undifferentiated; that is, all fetal genitalia are the same and are phenotypically female.”

Though the team behind Trump’s executive order may not have caught this, people on Twitter certainly have.

“In case you missed it, Trump issued an executive order yesterday declaring all Americans’ gender is determined at the moment of conception. All human zygotes are female at the moment of conception. Donald Trump just created approximately 160 million F2M transgender people,” one person wrote after seeing the order.

Another commented: “Fun fact, the zygote is coded as female at conception so saying sex is defined at conception like Trumps executive order stats means we’re all assigned female at conception. It takes 6-7 weeks of gestation for sex to determine your assigned gender at birth. Let’s go girls!”

When push comes to shove, it’s likely any officials interpreting the order would form an opinion based on its intended meaning rather than the scientific meaning.

But there’s no escaping the irony that in his attempt to stop men from ‘self-identifying as women’, Trump accidentally assigned them all a new gender.