U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked outrage by likening those who support transgender and non-binary children to child abusers, in a proclamation for National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Trump, who began his second term in January, has swiftly enacted a series of executive orders targeting the rights of transgender Americans — moves he described during his campaign as efforts to stop “transgender lunacy”.
Among these policies are a formal declaration that the U.S. recognises only two sexes, a ban on transgender people serving in the military, restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare for individuals under 19, and the exclusion of trans women from participating in women’s sports.
In his proclamation, Trump stated his administration is committed “to empowering every child in America to lead a fulfilling life of dignity and love — and we pledge to bring every abuser, predator, and evildoer who threatens the health and safety of our children to swift justice”.
He then alarmingly asserted, “One of the most prevalent forms of child abuse facing our country today is the sinister threat of gender ideology.”
The term “gender ideology” is frequently used by anti-trans activists to deride any affirmation or support of transgender identities. Trump continued: “Proponents of the gender ideology movement are outrageously indoctrinating our children with the devastating lie that they are trapped in the wrong body — and that the only way they can be truly happy is to alter their sex with hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and sexual mutilation surgery.”
Describing gender-affirming care as “evil and backwards lies”, Trump claimed it was stealing children’s “happiness, health, and freedom” and causing “unimaginable heartbreak” for families.
“As I stated during my Joint Address to the Congress last month, my message to every American child is simple: you are perfect exactly the way God made you,” he added.
In contrast to Trump’s statements, leading medical research consistently shows that gender-affirming care for trans youth — including puberty blockers — is safe, effective, and reversible. Studies also demonstrate extremely low regret rates among those who undergo gender-related treatments — estimated at around 1 per cent, significantly lower than regret rates for surgeries like bariatric weight-loss procedures or even parenthood.
Trump further cited Executive Order 14187, which prohibits public schools from promoting “transgender ideology” and blocks taxpayer funding for institutions involved in “the sexual mutilation of our youth”.
He also referenced efforts to secure the southern border and combat child trafficking, positioning these as part of his broader agenda to protect American children.
Concluding the proclamation, Trump declared: “We affirm that every perpetrator who inflicts violence on our children will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Above all, we vow to give our children the tools they need to fully embrace God’s gift of life, and to carry that radiant torch of American Liberty generations into the future.”
