On his first day back in office, President Trump made waves by signing two executive orders aimed at dismantling key policies on gender and racial equity. These actions roll back federal initiatives designed to support transgender Americans and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) across government agencies. One of the orders focuses on reversing protections for transgender individuals, asserting that the government will no longer recognize gender identities beyond those assigned at birth. “Gender identity reflects a fully internal and subjective sense of self,” the order states, effectively dismissing the validity of transgender identities. The second order targets D.E.I. programs, calling for the elimination of these initiatives across federal practices. Trump’s administration will terminate positions like “chief diversity officer,” end equity-focused grants, and revise hiring practices to remove diversity considerations. Supporters of the move applaud it as a step toward ending what they call “wokeism” in government. Critics, however, argue it erases decades of progress in addressing systemic inequities that disproportionately affect Black and other marginalized communities. This isn’t the first time Trump has taken aim at such policies. During his first term, he rolled back affirmative action programs and scaled back transgender protections. Now, with these latest orders, he’s doubling down on his promise to “stop efforts to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.” As these changes unfold, their impact on federal workplaces and marginalized communities remains a major point of debate.