In compliance with a Jan. 20 executive order, when renewing her passport, Weinberg sophomore Alexandra Hoffmann had to replace her passport that aligned with her gender identity to one that identified her by her assigned sex at birth.
Hoffmann’s experience is a result of President Donald Trump’s executive order intended to eradicate “gender ideology extremism,” which mandates that government-issued identification documents including passports, visas and Global Entry cards be limited to the options of “male” and “female” to “accurately reflect the holder’s sex.”
“That’s something that has an effect on a lot of people, because the ability to have accurate information on identification is needed to move freely through the country,” Hoffmann said.
She said she was “preparing for the worst” throughout the election period, but was still shocked to see the order on day one of Trump’s presidency.
Hoffmann added this action could put her at risk of violence or of being outed in public. Although Hoffmann is unsure of what the future will hold, she said she can anticipate transgender students losing access to certain healthcare services, like gender affirming care.
The order — Executive Order 14168 — calls for the restoration of “biological truth” and the eradication of “gender ideology.” It mandates the use of the term “sex” rather than “gender” in federal policies and documents.
English and gender studies Prof. Nick Davis said this situation felt “closer to home.”
Airport travel is rarely an easy experience for transgender people, Davis said. He added that policies for federal documents have been updated in recent years to better reflect how people identify.
For example, in 2022, the Biden administration issued a new policy that changed “sex” to “gender” on passport application forms and allowed passport applicants to choose from “M,” “F” and “X.”
It is “extremely vulnerable and extremely fraught,” Davis said, to have someone refuse to acknowledge your identity.
“It’s just sort of rubbing salt in what has been a series of wounds for a long time,” Davis said.
The order also states that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology.” Agencies will “assess grant conditions” to determine whether funds are being used to promote gender ideology. If upheld by federal courts, this statute could hold important ramifications for NU.
“That’s what they want, which is to use their funding power to get universities to root out anything that is connected to gender identity,” Pritzker Prof. Daniel Rodriguez said.
However, the order is currently facing many challenges, so Rodriguez said it is too soon to confirm any implications for universities. The order’s intentions regarding grants and funding, he said, are not entirely clear in the absence of more specific legislation.
If the Trump administration wants to challenge “gender ideology extremism” at universities, and not just in federal agencies, it will likely need more legislation, Rodriguez said.
Some changes at NU are already underway. In February, the University’s Gender and Sexuality Resource Center’s website was changed to redirect users to a Community & Belonging page which states the University is currently evaluating its policies and programs to meet federal and state laws.
This change follows the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion resources across University websites. Yet, the University said it remains committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
“Northwestern respects, values and supports all those in our community, including our LGBTQIA+ members,” a University spokesperson told The Daily in an email.
In light of the alleged overreach by the federal government to use claims of DEI to defund research, Davis said the potential effects on the future of gender studies research are disconcerting.
“The combination of how surgically but also how clumsily this is all being prosecuted right now, I don’t know what the future of that’s going to look like,” Davis said. “But it is a real threat and it’s very hard to feel insulated from it.”
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