Donald Trump has wasted no time in implementing a series of executive orders - which have already had considerable impact on US residents - since his official inauguration on Monday (20 January).
In particular, three new pieces of legislation signed off by the Republican leader have caused sparked mass controversy - both in congress and in the online realm - with many fearing how they could be put into place.
For those unfamiliar with the terminology, an 'executive order' is a legally-binding policy given to the federal government that a president can pass without the approval of congress.
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Not only does this been that dubious orders be introduced by newly sworn-in leaders, but policies brought in by previous leaders - in this case, his predecessor Joe Biden - can be dismissed.
And just three days following his inauguration, the 78-year-old has made considerable use of his new power by signing off on a series of new executive orders.
1) LGBTQ+ rights and rules on 'two genders'
During his official on Monday, Trump ruled that the US government would recognise 'only two genders' - male and female' - as part of one of his first orders on gender identity.
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The policy reads in part: "Agencies will cease pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against sex discrimination. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality."
The order also pledges to bring to an end 'wasteful' government programmes which promote diversity and inclusivity, as well as 'defending women from gender ideology extremism'.
The policy's introduction comes after Trump previously vowed to end any programmes that 'promote … gender transition at any age', and pledged to cut funding from hospitals providing gender-affirming care.
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He also promised that federal law would rule that the US government not legally recognise trans people and rescind federal LGBTQ+ non-discrimination policies, like housing, healthcare and employment.
What could these changes mean for LGBTQ+ individuals, however?
According to Cathryn Oakley, the senior director of legal policy at Human Rights Campaign, the changes could 'erode important protections that many Americans now take for granted'.
"Including that a non-transgender woman in the workplace who is perceived to be violating gender norms in terms of her dress," she continued.
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"Decision to work outside the home, affect or other presentation is protected from discrimination under Title VII."
2) The 1965 Equal Employment Opportunity Act
Trump previously applied pressure onto the private sector to join an initiative against diversity programs, after ordering aviation officials to review their hiring process.
Reuters reported yesterday (22 Jan) ordered that government DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) employees would be placed on paid leave.
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As part of a new executive order, Trump has now revoked several pieces of legislation, including the DEI advocacy, and will seek to dissuade private companies using government contracts from hiring marginalised individuals.
The order has branded these practices 'illegal DEI discrimination and preferences', and has since asked government agencies to identify private corporations that should be looked into.
"As a part of this plan, each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, State and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars." the order said.
How Trump's team plan to enforce these 'civil compliance investigations', however, hasn't yet been determined - though the fact it is expected to have disastrous impacts due to the longevity of the law.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Act was previously put into place to both promote opportunities for and protect women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally underrepresented groups within society.
It also prohibited discrimination in the workplace based on race, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, and marital or familial status.
Ever since it's formation 60 years ago, supporters have continually argued that the program is vital in order to address longstanding inequities and structural racism in the United States.
3) Birthright citizenship + immigration
In his inaugural address, Trump also promised that 'all illegal entry will be halted' and that millions of 'criminal aliens' will be deported.
"All illegal entry will immediately be halted," he said. "And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came."
Trump also announced his intentions to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. He promised these orders would amount to a 'complete restoration of America' as he hailed 'a Golden Age for America'.
The legal principle of birthright citizenship grants citizenship to anyone born in a country regardless of their parents' citizenship - in turn, allowing nearly everyone born on US soil to immediately become a citizen.
With his new policy, Trump has attempted to make it the case that any child born in the US who has one parent not born there, are no longer automatically extended US citizenship.
It works by disallowing federal agencies from issuing or recognising documentation proving US citizenship for such children who meet that criteria in the US 30 days after the order was signed.
The executive order largely targets children who are born to unauthorised immigrants as well as people legally in the US on temporary visas.
Thankfully, however, the citizenship is protected by the 14th Amendment, meaning any attempt to revoke it will likely bring immediate legal challenges.
In turn, this seems to imply that Trump will not be able to end this right using an executive order alone.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, LGBTQ, US News, News
Rhianna Benson