On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an order recognizing only two genders—male and female. It defines a female as “a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell,” and a male as producing the small reproductive cell.

Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, criticized the move at the HRC Greater New York Dinner, saying LGBTQ+ people live “rent-free in the minds” of Republican leaders. She warned of a time of “uncertainty and fear” and accused the administration of targeting transgender people.

McBride condemned policies forcing transgender people to disclose their identity on government records, restricting parental rights in trans healthcare, and removing transgender military members despite their service.

She also criticized restrictions on transgender people using federal restrooms, arguing such bans “open up all women to harassment and potentially gross and invasive inspections.”

Concluding, McBride stated that Trump’s administration treats transgender people as political pawns, but she refuses to be one.