President Donald Trump has ruled that the United States of America will only recognise two sexes, male and female – see what celebrities have had to say about the policy below.
Yesterday (January 20), Donald Trump was sworn in as President of the United States for a second time. During his inauguration speech, the President declared: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
While it initially appeared that Trump had mixed up the terms “sex” and “gender”, his administration clarified that the President would sign an executive order that would recognise two sexes only – male and female – and declare that they cannot be changed and that federal employers would need to use the term sex, not gender.
For reference, sex refers to biological characteristics of a human whereas gender refers to characteristics of male and female that are socially constructed.
Since his declaration, a handful of celebrities have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the policy. Prior to his inauguration, Ariana Grande shared a series of Instagram Stories highlighting the struggles that the LGBTQIA+ community have faced during the election campaign from Trump’s administration and his supporters.
After Trump’s policy declaration, she shared a repost on Instagram Stories that reads: “Let’s be very clear: queer and trans people were here before Donald Trump and will continued to be here after he’s dead. Whether or not you want to us to exist is secondary to the simple fact that we do. The sun does not care if you sign an executive order telling it to stop rising each morning. It just continues to rise.”
Aurora – who has come out as bisexual – took to Instagram Stories to offer solace to her transgender followers: “To all my [transgender] friends, coworkers and in general all the beautiful members of the trans community in the USA, which if haven’t had the pleasure to meet yet. I am in deep sorrow of how you have been failed by your own government.”
Aurora continued: “The right to be seen and heard is truly important. And the right to be who we truly are, is vital. I want you to know that my heart is with you. And my concern with the way the world is moving is deepened. The fear of the unknown, and the fear of what is different is not something we’re born with. It’s learnt.”
“And I hope once again – we’ll remain reminded of the power of love and the power of the people. May we never stop, in our humble request – to be free in who we are and how we want to live our lives,” Aurora concluded.
RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage shared a snippet of Trump’s speech on Instagram Stories and wrote over it: “YOU WILL NOT ERASE MY CHILD.”
Other Drag Race luminaries like Niecy Nash and Cynthia Lee Fontaine commented on GLAAD’s update on Trump’s ruling. Nash commented with a “nuh-uh” gif, while Fontaine commented: “Trash. But we will continue to ensure we will continued with our rights. We will NOT be silent.”
Rapper Lil Tay and actor-singer Kevin McHale both pointed out the flaws in Trump’s use of “genders” when he really meant “sexes”.
“male” and “female” are sexes, not genders. https://t.co/ZWamLoqET8
— LIL TAY (@LilTaybepoppin) January 20, 2025
He said “gender” during his speech. Unsurprisingly, new old POTUS doesn’t know the difference between sex and gender. https://t.co/JLU6fB0EeJ
— Kevin McHale (@druidDUDE) January 20, 2025
On the other hand, celebrities like Russell Brand are celebrating Trump’s policy change.
“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.” pic.twitter.com/AmhsQ93OH0
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) January 20, 2025
The order would block workplace requirements that transgender people use pronouns that align with their gender. It also targets America’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and ends their federal funding.
As per NBC, the gender order would be part of a policy Trump’s administration claim “[defends] women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”
The order will require federal government to use the term “sex” instead of “gender” while also directing the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to “ensure that official government documents, including passports and visas, reflect sex accurately.”
Since 2022, Biden’s administration allowed Americans to select the gender-neutral “X” on their passports.
This is a developing story – stay tuned for more reactions
The post Entertainment world reacts to Donald Trump’s “two gender” policy: “The right to be who we truly are, is vital” appeared first on NME.