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Trump repeals Biden measures on DEI and gender recognition

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Actions face backlash from civil rights groups

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Corporations show mixed responses to DEI rollback

(Adds Trump rescinding Biden executive orders paragraphs 1-5)

By Bianca Flowers and Daniel Trotta

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on

Monday rescinded executive orders that had promoted diversity,

equity and inclusion (DEI) and promoted rights for LGBTQ+ people

and racial minorities, fulfilling promises to curtail

protections for the most marginalized Americans.

Shortly after taking office, Trump repealed 78 executive

orders signed by his predecessor Joe Biden, including at least a

dozen measures supporting racial equity and combating

discrimination against gay and transgender people.

Shortly before Trump was sworn in as the 47th president,

an incoming White House official told reporters Trump would soon

take more executive action that would, for example, proclaim the

U.S. government will only recognize two sexes - male and female

- that cannot be changed.

Trump's policies represent a major departure from Biden's

administration, which prioritized implementing diversity

measures across the federal government. Trump rescinded two

orders that Biden signed on his first day in office four years

ago, one advancing racial equity for underserved communities and

another combating discrimination based on gender identity or

sexual orientation.

Trump repealed other orders aimed at helping Black,

Hispanic, Native American and Asian Americans and Pacific

Islanders.

"This week, I will also end the government policy of trying

to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public

and private life," Trump said in his inaugural address.

"We will forge a society that is color blind and

merit-based. ... As of today, it will henceforth be the official

policy of the United States government that there are only two

genders, male and female," Trump said.

The Trump administration plans to review and potentially end

what the official described as "discriminatory programs,"

including environmental justice grants and diversity training

initiatives.

The DEI rollback and Trump's inauguration coincided with

this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday commemorating the

civil rights leader.

Civil and human rights advocates and groups immediately

vowed to protect minorities and challenge Trump's agenda.

"We refuse to back down or be intimidated. We are not going

anywhere, and we will fight back against these harmful

provisions with everything we've got," Kelley Robinson,

president of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+

rights advocacy group in the U.S., said in a statement.

Rights advocates have said any DEI and transgender rights

rollbacks implemented by Trump would be a blow to hard-fought

efforts to secure equitable policies and undermine progress made

to address systemic prejudices that have deprived equal

opportunities for marginalized groups for decades.

"We will continue our relentless efforts to protect

immigrant rights, combat voter suppression, and confront hate

and discrimination in all its forms," Asian Americans Advancing

Justice said in a statement.

Many corporations have distanced themselves from DEI

measures, with some rolling back DEI initiatives and programs in

recent weeks. Meanwhile, companies such as Costco and

Apple ( AAPL ) have remained resolute in maintaining their

commitment to DEI.

As part of the executive orders, federal funds will not be

used to promote "gender ideology," the official said, a loose

term often used by conservative groups to reference any ideology

that promotes non-traditional views on sex and gender. Rights

and advocacy groups view the term as an anti-LGBTQ trope and

dehumanizing.

The Trump administration would only recognize two sexes,

male and female, that were unchangeable, and would instruct

federal employers to use the term sex and not gender, which can

refer to gender norms and identity, the incoming White House

official said in a background briefing.

U.S. funding will also not be used on gender transition

medical procedures, the official said without providing detail.

The Trump administration also planned to limit the scope of

a major victory for transgender rights under the 2020 U.S.

Supreme Court ruling of Bostock v Clayton County, in which the

high court found that civil rights protections against

discrimination "on the basis of sex" applied to sexuality and

gender identity.

The attorney general would provide explicit guidance on how

to apply Bostock, the official said.

Transgender rights have become a contentious political topic

in recent years. During November's election season, many

Republicans campaigned on reversing transgender laws with a

particular focus on transgender women participating in sports.

During a pre-inauguration rally on Sunday, Donald Trump said

that he will take action to "keep all men out of women's

sports."

It was not immediately clear what the executive orders would

mean for the U.S. military. During his first term, Trump

announced that he would ban transgender troops from serving in

the military, and his administration did freeze recruitment of

transgender personnel. Biden overturned that decision when he

took office in 2021.