Trump just fired one of the highest-ranking trans women in the federal government

US president Donald Trump has fired one of the most-senior trans women in the federal government. 

Amy Paris has worked for five administrations and was involved in helping Joe Biden implement trans-inclusive policies. Most recently, she served as deputy digital services lead in the Department of Health and Human Services, where she oversaw organ donation safety.

She ranked second only to former assistant secretary of health Rachel Levine, LGBTQ Nation reported. 

Trump’s administration axed the role on 14 February as part of his drive to roll back inclusivity programmes. 

‘They are trying to sow discord’

Paris told The 19th: “They said I was fired for performance. I have clear evidence that I was one of the highest-performing people in the entirety of the federal government.

“They’re trying to actually not make the government more efficient, but disrupt the government and disrupt citizen services that the American people need to conduct their daily lives. They are trying to sow discord and disrupt confidence in the workings of the federal government.”

Trump’s executive orders, aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, have led LGBTQ+ groups to file a lawsuit against his administration.

Governmental diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employees were forced to take paid administrative leave on the first day of Donald Trump’s return to power.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X/Twitter to reveal the move, saying employees in DEI and accessibility offices have to take leave no later than 5pm on Wednesday (22 January). A memo, issued by the US Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday (21 January), said it was effective immediately while “the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs.”

In addition, federal agencies were ordered to cancel any equality-related training and to take down all “outward-facing media” from DEI offices. 

Then, a few days later, Trump boasted that he has defeated so-called “wokeness”. The 78-year-old president sang his own praises during a Las Vegas rally on Saturday 25 January, claiming the executive orders he had signed over the last five days had gotten rid of “the woke cr*p” in government.

Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of GLAAD, said: “Within hours of his swearing-in, he has marked his agenda of perpetuating fear and misunderstanding, instead of addressing the actual problems Americans face.” 

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