But what does it MEAN? Discussion of the transgender memo Sam Crane Like many of my friends, I was very scared and upset by the news about the leaked Trump administration memorandum on transgender discrimination. I understand that everyone has very different coping strategies. But what works mos...
For anyone looking for a detailed breakdown of what the transgender memo means in practical and material terms, this is a really good document.
I can’t guarantee its accuracy 100% obviously (I am not a lawyer and we don’t have access to the actual memo), but it’s written by a disability policy advocate lawyer with a lot of knowledge about how these sorts of documents function in relation to access to civil rights protections.
It answers the following urgent questions--
What is this memo? Are they changing the law?
Can't states just pass their own antidiscrimination protections?
Do you know if the memo could be reasonably interpreted by a Title IX coordinator at a public college to mean they *must* police trans students and/or close down all-gender restrooms?
Does this mean I won't be able to access healthcare?
Should I accelerate my schedule for surgery/updating my birth certificate/etc.?
What about updating my passport or social security information?
Can I update my gender marker without a court-ordered name change?
Do you think there's a real chance of them cancelling documents where the gender marker has already been changed?
Is there a way to check what our gender marker is with the social security administration?
If the memo says that it only matters what my original birth certificate says is there even any point in updating gender markers?
Can't a future president just reverse all this?
What about Congress? Can't Congress overrule executive orders and policies?
How does this memo affect intersex people? Especially intersex people who were assigned an inaccurate gender marker at birth?













