Trans Women

Keeping Score: Executive Orders Attack Trans Community; Americans Need Paid Leave and Childcare Policies; Unvaccinated Measles Cases Soar

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Trump’s executive orders continue to threaten trans people’s safety, jobs and rights; policies like paid family leave and universal preschool are incredibly popular; measles spreads among unvaccinated populations; Congress signals their plan to cut SNAP and Medicaid; women’s college basketball teams will be paid for March Madness games; almost a quarter of Gen Z adults are part of the LGBTQ community; and more.

Montana’s Latest Anti-Trans Bill Has Disturbing Parallels With 19th-Century Eugenics Laws

HB 446 is just one of a new generation of social purity laws being presented across the country, using fears of “social contagion” from over a century ago that still ring true for many Americans.

Understanding this history is vital to unpacking the danger—often connected growing white supremacist movements—of these laws and the social fears they represent. 

My Trans Daughter Deserves to Live Without Fear

My oldest daughter is a young trans woman, and recent political actions have left her, and many like her, feeling afraid.

My daughter, like all trans people, did not choose to be transgender. But when she realized that embracing her true identity alleviated years of internal struggle, she made the brave decision to live as herself. She is a bright, creative and compassionate woman who cares deeply about others. She rescues abandoned animals, volunteers for organizations that support transgender individuals in need, and dreams of starting a family with her partner. Even though she lives in a big cosmopolitan city, occasionally she gets harassed on the street. Mostly she lives her life, hangs out with friends, rides her bike around town and sees us: her parents and her three siblings. Yet, for the first time since she has been living her true identity, she is afraid—and increasingly fearful about what the future holds.

‘We Will Not Surrender’: How to Stand Up to Trump Administration Attacks on LGBTQ+ Health Research

The Trump administration is waging an aggressive campaign to censor and dismantle LGBTQ+ health research, erasing critical data, banning key terms and suppressing scientific inquiry. These unprecedented attacks threaten not only academic freedom but also the health and lives of LGBTQ+ people. In response, researchers, medical organizations, and advocates must take bold action—filing lawsuits, protecting data and refusing to be silenced. The fight for scientific integrity and LGBTQ+ health equity has never been more urgent.

Trans Activist Raquel Willis Offers Thoughts on Organizing, Strength and Hope in this Moment

Within the first three weeks of Donald Trump’s second term, he has signed a devastating and chaotic wave of executive orders that undo a wide variety of laws and protections impacting vulnerable Americans.

With so many rights and freedoms at stake, I reached out to trailblazing transgender activist Raquel Willis to get her perspective on what we are facing under this administration and how we can support the trans community.  

“We’re not starting from zero.” The fight for trans rights continues—and so does the resistance.

Trump’s Administration Seems Chaotic, But He’s Drawing Directly from Project 2025 Playbook

In his first few days back in office, President Donald Trump engaged in a whirlwind of executive actions, from exiting the World Health Organization to deploying military personnel and National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Many of these actions are unprecedented. Some appear to be illegal and unconstitutional, according to legal experts and judges. But none of them should come as a surprise—nearly all of them were outlined in 2022 in a plan called Project 2025.

Keeping Score: Trump’s Executive Orders Undo Progress; Meta Allows Hate Against Women and LGBTQ People; Abortion Ban States Are Losing Residents

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Trump enacts harmful executive actions on immigration, global abortion care, DEI and foreign assistance; Trump’s new treasury secretary said expanding tax cuts for the wealthy is “the single most important economic issue of the day”; Trump pardoned anti-abortion extremists; ICE raids spread fear; 1.4 percent of trans teens participate in sports, but 40 percent are bullied at school; Whole Woman’s Health has expanded its 24/7 abortion care services; states hostile to abortion rights see challenges attracting and retaining workers; female firefighters will now receive federal compensation for treatment for reproductive cancers; remembering Cecile Richards, and more.

Meet the New Feminists in Congress Who Are Fighting Back

The progressive women newly elected and sworn into office—including three non-incumbent senators and 16 representatives—offer a glimmer of “bright hope” as the country enters a second Trump administration.

All of these women know that they’re entering a complicated political landscape, one that’s heavily partisan and disheartening to many of their constituents. They’re also experienced and driven, ready to work across the aisle as necessary while remaining dedicated to important causes, from protecting abortion rights and supporting the LGBTQ+ community to advocating for gun control, judicial reform, affordable healthcare and public education. These women come from all walks of life, sectors of the workforce and backgrounds. Some worked retail or food service jobs to pay their way through school. Others have been lifelong public servants or dedicated themselves to volunteering. They’ve been working physicians, engineers, attorneys, climate change activists, CIA analysts, mayors, state representatives and senators, education advocates, executive directors of nonprofits and small-business owners. They are Black, white, Latina and Middle Eastern. Some are proud members of the LGBTQ+ community. Many are from working-class backgrounds. Some are mothers and even grandmothers. Several are first-generation college graduates or the children of immigrants.

Restoring ‘Truth’ or Restricting Freedom? The Real Impact of Enforcing Gender Binaries

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In a flurry of executive orders this week, President Donald Trump signed one that calls for “accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.” The order, called Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, seeks to restore the gender binary. 

Let’s be clear: Women do not need to be protected from an inclusive definition of gender or trans people. Nonbinary and trans people exist. Their identities are valid, their rights matter and their existence does not threaten cisgender women or anyone else. 

Enforcing binary language lays the foundation for broader discrimination and exclusion, emboldening harmful policies in communities, workplaces and state governments.