President Trump continues his speedy establishment of new executive orders throughout the early days of his presidency. This time, it was in the form of two orders, one from day one of his presidency and another from Feb. 4, 2025.
The first, titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, deals with establishing clear distinctions between men and women in the hope of, in the administration’s eyes, defending women from extremism related to gender and restore traditional gender role values to the federal government.
Given its private institution status, St. Lawrence University will abide by these in accordance with the law. That said, much information regarding these orders and their implementation more broadly is still unknown. “New York State, our Student Code of Conduct, and our Combined Discrimination and Harassment policies, which include Title IX, protect individuals on the basis of gender identity or expression,” said SLU Title IX Coordinator/Sexual Wellness Educator Lindsey Tropper. “Additionally, our university values and mission protect these identities and these values and mission have not changed even in light of the EO. If we receive an order from the courts that we must comply with this executive order, then we could be affected at SLU.”
Tropper also noted that she would not be surprised if the executive order faced several legal challenges. “ATIXA, which is the Association of Title IX Administrators, has long stated that protections on gender identity or expression have been implied under Title IX, as a logical offshoot of ‘sex’ as it pertains to ‘no discrimination on the basis of sex.’ This viewpoint signals to me that if the Trump administration works to enforce this executive order that there are only two sexes, there would likely be legal challenges.” Regulations are not necessarily the best word for these actions however, “A clarifying point is that these are not new regulations. Executive orders have power certainly, but they are not the same as regulations. I think my biggest takeaway point is that until we are told by the courts that we must comply with this executive order, SLU will continue to provide protections on the basis of gender identity or expression. We are monitoring this situation closely, and I’m available to chat further as helpful,” said Tropper.
In addition to this executive order, a recent one established on Feb. 4, 2025, addressed a similar idea but on a more specific occasion. This one, titled Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, addressed just that. Essentially trying to ban trans athletes from participating in the opposite gender’s athletic competitions. This has been an ongoing issue with various controversies around the country, with arguments on either side. The basis of this executive order would be to protect women from unfair competition, ensure locker room safety, and create an equitable environment for women in sports.
At the end of the day, the big takeaway from all of this is that much is still unknown, and until clarification is provided, much of what we know today regarding these new executive orders will remain the same for the time being. That said, it does open the door for substantial change should these executive orders pass legal challenges and other hurdles they may encounter.