The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts expresses deep concern regarding the Executive Order titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government issued by President Donald Trump yesterday. While framed as a measure to protect women, this directive seeks to strip women of the fundamental freedom of self-determination. It raises significant legal and ethical concerns, particularly for transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming and intersex individuals, and especially individuals of color in these communities, whose rights and identities are disproportionally impacted by such policies. 

The WBA has long been committed to advancing equity and inclusion for all women, including transgender women. Policies that seek to narrowly define gender and sex, and especially which will explicitly prohibit transgender women from availing themselves of the safety of women’s shelters, or which will require the transfer of transgender women to men’s prisons, disregard the realities of vulnerability and risk faced by these individuals. Ensuring safe and inclusive spaces is critical to protecting all women, regardless of their assigned sex and gender identity.

The WBA will continue advocating for a legal system that supports the rights of all individuals, regardless of their assigned sex and gender identity, and will pursue its mission that all people are treated with dignity and respect under the law.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Mitropoulos
President, Women's Bar Association