President Donald Trump has signed a controversial executive order aiming to penalise schools that discuss transgender issues in the classroom.
On Wednesday (29 January), Trump continued his wave of executive actions, directing acting Education Secretary Denise Carter to draft a plan within 90 days to eliminate what he calls “indoctrination” in schools. The order mandates that federal funding be tied to whether schools comply with guidelines set by the White House.
The order raises significant legal questions about the federal government’s role in shaping school curricula. Jonathan Zimmerman, an education historian at the University of Pennsylvania, told The Washington Post: “Whether the federal government can influence curriculum in this way is a completely open question. If they were actually able to compel school districts to alter their curriculum, that would be the first time the federal government had done that. Ever.”
This latest move follows Trump’s repeated claims that the US education system is dominated by “everything transgender.” During his campaign, he vowed to stop so-called “transgender lunacy” and pledged to roll back trans rights across various aspects of public life.
LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD has warned that Trump’s “obsession” with anti-trans policies will harm all Americans. A spokesperson for the organisation stated:
“The more the Trump administration focuses on spreading lies, the less it is focusing on solving problems and improving people’s lives.”
Trump has already signed several other executive orders restricting trans rights, including:
- Banning gender-affirming healthcare for individuals under 19.
- Declaring transgender military personnel “unfit” for service.
- Issuing an order stating there are “only two sexes.”
The executive order is expected to face legal challenges from education advocates, civil rights organisations, and LGBTQ+ groups. Critics argue that it infringes on local and state control over education while further marginalising trans and non-binary students.
As debates over trans rights and education policies continue to escalate, many await the response from school districts and state governments in the coming months.
