President calling for LGBTQ+ protections

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Jan. 20 to combat discrimation based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He had also lifted a ban on transgender individuals in the military later on that week. 

This had aimed to protect gay and transgender Americans by expanding their federal civil rights protections. “Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love,” it reads.

These orders had started a debate between liberals and conservatives on social media. These executive orders received a ton of ‘transphobic backlash’ by many conservative Christians. They have lashed out against the Biden administration with the hashtag #BidenErasedWomen and alleging that these orders would adulterate the rights and protections cisgender women have. 

“On day 1, Biden unilaterally eviscerates women’s sports. Any educational institution that receives federal funding must admit biologically-male athletes to women’s teams, women’s scholarships, etc. A new glass ceiling was just placed over girls,” writer Abigail Shreir wrote on Twitter.

“It’s not possible to provide protections for women if a man can declare himself a woman and access the same protections. That’s not an opinion. That is a logical fact. Evolution endowed the sexes differently. Protections for women are just and must be defended,” wrote Bret Weinstein, a biologist and evolutionary theorist.  

In response to these posts, many users responded that protection to transgender women will not take anything away from cis gender women. 

“There is zero evidence–not a shred–that protecting trans women against discrimination harms cis women. We have asked for it. Many times. And all transphobes have is conjecture, lies and performative fear disguising ignorance and hatred. Equality will win,” writer Charlotte Clymer tweeted. 

“A reminder that Biden’s executive order on trans rights exists so that trans people can’t be fired or evicted for being trans anywhere in the U.S., whereas previously there were places this was legal to do. Let’s focus on that shall we instead of made up nonsense,” wrote a Twitter user called Chris Forest.

Biden has just entered office and there is already a divide amongst people based on the things the Biden Administration has done.