It was just one of dozens of executive orders signed Monday evening, but it's one that could have some of the most dramatic impact on people’s lives.
The order is officially called, "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government." Activists and members of the trans community say it not only creates a lot of confusion but they say it could lead to physical harm.
"I am no longer a trans woman; I am a man, according to and in the eyes of the federal government," said independent LGBTQ+ legislative researcher Allison Chapman, a trans woman.
Many in the community worry it could lead to an uptick in suicides and bias attacks.
"I think what it does is it tells people that this is a group of people that is OK to beat up on in every single way," said Brooklyn-based Imara Jones, CEO of TransLash Media.
Trump made reference to trans individuals during his inaugural address in the Capitol Rotunda.
“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.
Jones said that just hours after Trump's speech, she got a call about a trans person being attacked in a restroom.
She said Trump's comments and the executive order "telegraph that it is open season on a group of Americans."
One of the biggest changes is that the executive order requires government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex, which can only be male or female, as assigned at birth.
"I'm completely just heartbroken, angry, scared," said Manhattan-based Melody Mars, who identifies under the trans umbrella as gender queer.
"Being Gen Z, we joke a lot to cope and we kind of push through, but I think today it kinda just hit me that I can’t even joke about this; I can’t even laugh," Mars said. "This isn’t funny anymore. This is our reality. And this is something that we are facing fully and it’s just terrifying."
"He claimed that his speech was going to be uniting the country, and you can't claim to unite the country when you're enacting policies that are designed to erase a community," said David Kilmnick, president of the LGBT Network, which operates community centers in Long Island and Queens. "What he did was exactly that. It was to try to erase the transgender and non-binary communities."
Kilmnick called it "dangerous."
"Trans kids are bullied more than any other group in their schools, which leads to mental health issues, which leads to suicide,” Kilmnick said.
The executive order would also require transgender inmates be removed from the areas of federal prisons that match their gender identity. It also includes language pertaining to bathrooms, but more clarification from the incoming attorney general is needed regarding exactly how that would be enforced.
But Bobby Hodgson with the New York Civil Liberties Union said for those who live in New York State, protections already exist.
"[Laws exist in New York that] affirm and confirm that trans people are protected here in the context of state ID’s and municipal ID’s in NYC," Hodgson said. "Donald Trump has no ability to issue an executive order that would change the validity of those."
