Every time I hear someone talking about “gender ideology,” or see it reported in the news, I can’t help but wonder: “Has anyone actually done their homework? Do they even understand what ideology means?” The way gender is being framed as an ideology is not just misleading; it’s dangerous.
An ideology is a system of ideas and beliefs — something people choose to follow. A person’s identity, however, is not an ideology. It is who they are. To equate the two is not just intellectually dishonest — it is a deliberate attempt to delegitimize transgender people.
In the escalating battle over transgender rights, one of the most disingenuous tactics employed by politicians is the framing of gender as an “ideology.” This mischaracterization is not just semantics. It is a weapon used to strip transgender people of their humanity, deny them essential rights, and ultimately, erase them from public life. By reducing gender identity to a political dispute rather than recognizing it as an intrinsic part of human existence, policymakers dismantle the legal protections and health care access that transgender and nonbinary individuals need to survive.
Recent executive orders issued by the Trump administration have launched a full-scale assault on transgender rights, targeting health care and legal recognition. These orders mandate federal agencies to recognize only two sexes, ignoring the medical and scientific consensus that gender is a spectrum. The result? Federal websites have scrubbed LGBTQ health resources, removing critical data that helps policymakers, doctors, and advocates address disparities in health care and public services.
The impact is devastating. Transgender individuals face significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide than the general population, largely due to systemic discrimination and barriers to care. Denying them gender-affirming health care and other medically necessary treatments only worsens these disparities. Under the guise of fighting “gender ideology,” federal funds are being stripped from programs that provide these life-saving services.
Many fear this is just the beginning. What’s next? The right to marry? The right to love freely? When a government starts erasing entire communities, history warns that further attacks are not far behind.
The rollback of transgender rights is part of a broader attack on the LGBTQ community. When the government refuses to acknowledge marginalized communities, it paves the way for discrimination, violence, and neglect. History has shown that when one group’s rights are dismantled, others inevitably follow.
Since these executive orders were issued, we have heard firsthand the anguish and fear from transgender people and their families. Parents are reaching out to organizations like the New York LGBT Network in desperation. They worry about their kids’ safety in schools, their access to health care, and whether they will have to move to another nation to live freely. These are not abstract policy debates. These are real families, real children, and real fears. The idea that a government can erase the very existence of their loved ones from the public sphere is a terror no parent should endure.
Transgender people do not seek special treatment. They seek the same fundamental rights as all Americans: the right to exist, to access health care, to work without discrimination, and to live free from persecution. These are not radical demands. They are the baseline of human dignity. Reducing them to political bargaining chips is an unconscionable betrayal of equality and justice.
Framing gender as an “ideology” is a deliberate attempt to delegitimize the lived experiences of millions. Gender is not an ideology. It is a reality backed by decades of medical, psychological, and sociological research. The real ideology at play is the one seeking to erase and control vulnerable populations for political gain.
If we allow the government to dictate who is “real” and who is not, we are complicit in the erosion of freedom itself. This is not just about transgender people. This is about the fundamental values of fairness, dignity, and human rights that define us all. The moment we allow politicians to divide us by identity, we all lose.
This fight is about ensuring that every American — regardless of gender identity, race, sexual orientation, or background — can live freely, with access to health care, opportunity, and respect. Whether you are LGBTQ or not, this affects you. The tactics used today to erase one group will be used tomorrow on another.
Now is the time to act. Stand up. Speak out. Refuse to let history repeat itself. The fight for equality belongs to all of us.
Kilmnick is president & founder of New York LGBT Network.
