NBJC Condemns President Trump’s Executive Orders Targeting Gender Identity and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs
CONTACT: Jordan Wilhelmi | jordan@unbendablemedia.com
WASHINGTON –Dr. David J. Johns, CEO and Executive Director of the National Black Justice Collective (NBJC), issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s first-day executive orders targeting transgender people and dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs:
“On his first days in office, President Trump clarified that his administration intends to attack progress, equity, and justice. His executive orders on gender identity and diversity, equity, and inclusion erase vital protections for transgender and non-binary people, and eliminates diversity programs meant to safeguard against discrimination and address inequality.
“These policies, under the guise of ‘fairness,’ are nothing more than permission slips for open discrimination based on susceptible social constructs designed to privilege a growing minority. They attempt to undo decades of hard-fought progress and embolden systems of oppression that disproportionately harm Queer people—that is, Black people, LGBTQ+/SGL people, and those living at the intersections of these identities.
“By directing federal agencies to rewrite policies and remove references to gender identity, this order forces government-issued identification documents such as passports and social security records to reflect only sex assigned at birth, which doesn’t erase the lived experiences of transgender people but makes it more difficult for them to survive. Schools, shelters, and workplaces that receive federal funding will no longer be required to accommodate transgender people’s gender identities, cutting them off from safe and affirming spaces. This is akin to legislating genocide.
“This order also mandates that rape shelters, prisons, and detention centers house transgender women with men, disregarding their safety. It rescinds federal funding for gender-affirming health care, which medical professionals, including the American Medical Association, have identified as life-saving. Furthermore, it eliminates crucial safeguards designed to prevent discrimination based on gender identity by undermining Title IX and other civil rights protections. Even the thousands of transgender military personnel currently serving our nation are not spared, as the order strips them of protections, threatening troop readiness and dismissing their contributions to national security. These efforts are designed to take America back to a time when profiting from the pain and labor of minoritized people was not only statutorily permissible but popular.
“Equally alarming is the executive order targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, which is a step backward in our nation’s ongoing struggle to confront its history of inequality. These overwhelmingly popular programs are essential to ensuring fairness and opportunity in hiring, promotion, and workplace culture, yet this administration seeks to dismantle them. Their efforts to deny the reality of systemic inequities in our institutions, only further widen the gaps in access and opportunity for Black communities and people already being marginalized. Trump’s rescissions included the annihilation of an office I led during the Obama-Biden administration, the (renamed) White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans. The office was created to maintain our nation’s place as a global leader by ensuring Black people have access to opportunity and education and is an example of the types of programs our nation lost in yesterday’s executive orders.
“Simply put, President Trump’s executive orders mark a dangerous turning point for our nation. They represent a deliberate effort to divide the country, erode civil rights protections, and make it permissible to target the most vulnerable among us. The impact of these actions will be far-reaching, leaving communities more vulnerable to violence, poverty, and systemic injustice.
“These Executive Orders are presidential requests. They are not laws and should not be honored without the due process required under the U.S. Constitution.
“The National Black Justice Collective calls on Congress, state legislatures, and political leaders across the country to challenge these measures and safeguard protections for the communities most at risk and in defense of democracy. Silence in the face of such blatant discrimination is complicity. We must act boldly and urgently to defend the civil rights of all who face oppression.
“This administration’s actions are a stark reminder of the work that remains to be done. We urge every policymaker, advocate, and active accomplice to stand up, speak out, and fight against the dangerous agenda that these executive orders set in motion. We will not allow this administration to turn back the clock on equality and justice.”