Donald Trump’s ‘terrifying’ anti-trans campaign promise shows ‘increasing desperation’, experts say
Donald Trump. (Getty)
LGBTQ+ activists have expressed their disgust at Donald Trump’s vicious anti-trans candidacy pledge.
The former president made numerous frightening promises as part of his candidacy for the upcoming 2024 presidential race in a video on Wednesday (1 February).
US LGBTQ+ group GLAAD has told PinkNews his comments “indicates increasing desperation in another failing campaign”.
His words have been called “terrifying” and “completely unhinged” by queer activists.
Trump said he would stop the “mutilation of children” by completely revoking policies on gender-affirming care and making it easier to prosecute medical professionals who support trans healthcare.
He also made a number of false claims that gender-affirming healthcare involved surgical procedures for under-18s and that doctors have “mutated” their physical appearance.
This is not true. Under-18s are not permitted to undergo gender-affirming surgeries, nor do they begin hormone replacement therapy. Instead, trans youth are given physically reversible puberty blockers until they reach adulthood.
The campaign video follows similarly worrying claims during a campaign event with around 200 attendees, in which he called the LGBTQ+ community a “cult of gender ideology”.
“I will sign a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age,” he said. “I will then ask Congress to permanently stop federal taxpayer dollars from being used to promote or pay for these procedures.”
This would effectively mean that medical transition for US trans people would be impossible – a move that has been deemed as “unconstitutional” by activists.
Speaking to PinkNews, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said: “President Trump’s baseless claims about healthcare for transgender Americans contradict the expertise and recommendation of every major medical association in America.
“His recent attacks align with his history of inaccurate policy and harmful rhetoric, a record that voters have repeatedly rejected, and which indicates increasing desperation in another failing campaign.”
Additionally, trans activist and UCSC PhD candidate Eli Erlick called the pledges “terrifying” in a tweet warning transgender Americans of what’s to come if Trump is elected once again.
“He’s boasting that he would prosecute many of my colleagues and me for simply speaking on trans issues to students,” she said.
She wasn’t the only one fearful of his comments, with Twitter users replying that such anti-trans rhetoric being used so openly is, in itself, a huge issue.
“The fact that this can even be shown in mainstream media without instant backlash and actual repercussions for the speaker makes me cry,” one user wrote.
Another pointed out the “hate and vitriol in his voice” when talking about trans people accessing healthcare.
His comments come amid the overwhelming number of anti-trans healthcare bills that have been filed by Republican lawmakers across the US.
Additionally, a number of states, including Utah, have completely banned gender-affirming care for under-18s after the success of worryingly transphobic legislation.
However, as journalist Katelyn Burns explained, this isn’t the first time Donald Trump has expressed vehemently anti-trans views, it’s just more disgustingly apparent.
“He’s tried a lot of this before, remember the ‘won’t be erased’ campaign?” she said.
“It’s completely unhinged but we need to fight back instead of panicking on Twitter about it.
“No one who isn’t already sucked into the transphobe cult will think this is normal.”
Trump’s anti-trans rhetoric is so ingrained, he began his 2024 presidential run with a rant about how society “refuses to protect its children” from trans people.
“This is a hallmark of cultural and social decay against which we should fight back very hard and very soon, we don’t have time to wait years to do this.”
Donald Trump was previously ridiculed for his ridiculous anti-LGBTQ+ comments, including in 2022 when he said no teacher should “teach transgender” to minors.
