Among the many executive orders President Donald Trump signed on the first day of his second term, one specifically targets transgender individuals within the federal prison system.

This order, framed as “defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government,” is, at its core, an outright assault on the rights and identities of transgender people.

"I never thought I’d find myself back here—a cold, steel room with barred windows and echoes of shouts reverberating through the halls. When the guards told me I was being relocated to a male holding facility," McCalister said, while looking at the floor, a wave of dread washing over him.

Genitalia examination in Prison to determine gender

"As I sit on the edge of my narrow bunk, I can’t help but reflect on what Just Detention International's Abbate said about us—trans people behind bars. Regardless of who holds the reins of power, whether it's a Democrat or a Republican, nothing changes. We still live in the shadows, forgotten and vilified, our identities reduced to mere footnotes in a larger, cruel saga. They lock us away like we’re not human."

"Back in New Jersey, I knew they were shifting policies," Mc Calister shifted uncomfortably on the narrow bunk as he spoke. "In October 2022, they decided that prison officials could place trans individuals in facilities that deny our identities, as if our very existence was a mistake waiting to be corrected. It's a punishment in itself—one that feels like a twisted game where we're forced to play by their rules to be recognized. I heard whispers that some of my 'sisters' resorted to drastic measures, cutting off their own genitals in hopes that it would persuade the Prison system to finally allow the surgeries we have waited desperately for, for years."

Rape and Violence against transgender in prison

Lambda Legal is speaking out, voicing the horrors trans-women face in this environment, but those words feel very distant to McCalister as he is living in this reality. "They are right; it’s about our lives, not just the politics swirling around us. Richard Saenz spoke about how this dehumanization continues to spike, particularly with the New Trump administration. I can feel the weight of those words as I navigate each day in this facility, surrounded by men who view me through a lens of ridicule, savage lust, hate and hostility."

No more funding for hormone therapy that would keep trans women looking like females

"The scant gender-affirming care I had before incarceration feels like a cruel joke now. What little I was receiving has been tossed aside, limited to whatever I had when I first entered. All I have left is my hope, which flickers like a faulty light bulb. Shawn Meerkamper's words haunt me too—how lawless will they be? The uncertainty gnaws at me."

"Yet, amidst all this darkness, I remember the landmark settlement from 2022, a glimmer of hope when the Bureau of Prisons finally agreed to offer the first gender-affirming surgery for a trans prisoner. They acknowledged that we deserve pathways to cure the errors of mis-gender allocated at birth, but will it matter for me? I am trapped in a system that is designed to erase me."

Bleak future for Transgender

Looking at the roof, a blue sky difficult to image, he continues, "I sit in this dim cell, I remind myself that I am more than their labels, more than the gender they assign me. I am valid, I am real, and despite their efforts to strip me of my identity, I refuse to be forgotten.

I clutch that thought tightly, even as I feel the weight of the world pressing down on me."

President Trump’s executive order extends its reach to target several marginalized groups, imposing measures that significantly infringe upon the rights of individuals who have grown accustomed to selective gender identities.

Minor Transgender Children in Federal Detention

Transgender children under 18 confined in federal institutions will feel the immediate psychological impact of this edict, as their identities are invalidated, potentially deepening feelings of isolation and despair.

Gay Couples who have already adopted

Furthermore, the ban on gay couples adopting children raises urgent concerns about children currently placed in homes with same-sex couples; it is unclear whether these existing adoptions will be reversed, leaving many vulnerable and unsettled in their living situations.

Deportation Procedures requires illegals to be Imprisoned and face Violence

The directive also mandates that illegal immigrants awaiting deportation be housed according to their gender assigned at birth, compounding the already existing animosity directed toward the LGBTQ community. This hostility not only disregards the identities of countless individuals but also fosters an environment ripe for discrimination and violence.

As legal recognition diminishes, the potential for active aggression and hostility towards LGBTQ members increases, leading to unsafe and traumatic experiences for those simply seeking to live authentically. Ultimately, this order creates a landscape where open hostility and rejection thrive, denying essential recognition and dignity to those who exist outside traditional binary norms.