Who's the target of Trump's disdain? Often, it's women. | Opinion
The president's contempt doesn't stop with transgender and intersex women. It extends to millions of Americans whom he has publicly belittled or mocked. Here's a list.
I’ve specialized in the psychology of women for 30 years. In this work, I study all manner of injustice confronting us, from violence to harassment to everyday denials of dignity.
There’s not much that shocks me. But I am stunned by the contempt for women coming out of the Trump administration.
Consider, for example, the list of words flagged as problematic in National Science Foundation grants. Stemming from the administration’s war on diversity, equity and inclusion, the list includes women, female and females. Another word is conspicuously absent: men (Black and Hispanic are also on the list, but not white).
In a similar vein, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directed scientists to withdraw publications containing certain words, including gender.
Will this censorship of science improve discovery? Yield medical advances? Give our national labs a competitive edge? No, no and no.
Will it get in the way of research on women’s health? It already has.
These rookie moves could impede studies of topics like breast cancer, heart disease and HIV in women.
The most generous interpretation is that Team Trump did not see these consequences coming. Perhaps that’s not surprising, given that in this administration, women are few and far between in positions of power.
Trump's Cabinet is filled with unqualified hires – mostly men
Let’s look at the numbers. Who has President Donald Trump elevated to Cabinet positions? Mostly men. Who has he nominated for ambassadorships? Mostly men. Who are Trump’s top advisers? Mostly men. Pull up any news image of the president and his inner circle, and you’ll see a circle of men.
Did these men get where they are because of merit? Because they have the deep knowledge and experience needed to lead our large government?
That logic crumbles when considering the qualifications of Trump’s Cabinet. We have a weekend news guy calling the shots at the Pentagon. A reality television star at the helm of transportation. An attorney with no health credentials – known for promoting misinformation about medicine – overseeing the nation’s health apparatus.
Then there’s the DOGE crew. (That's the Department of Government Efficiency, run by Elon Musk.) Here we see an army of tech bros, some barely out of adolescence, digging through your personal data. One is all of 19.
The idea that these men merit their jobs because of vast experience is, well, absurd.
Erasing identity, erasing respect
But wait, one might ask, didn’t Trump honor women when he issued executive orders to protect us? Like this one: “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government.” He’s respecting women there, right?
Um, no.
That order tries to erase thousands of women who are transgender or intersex (intersex is a naturally occurring variation in humans, when a person is born with biological traits that don’t fit neatly into male/female categories). Let’s be clear: Transwomen are women. Intersex women are women.
And no, we do not need protection from our transgender sisters – in bathrooms or sports or anywhere else (though they might need protection from Trumpworld, which is weirdly obsessed with them).
That executive order smacks of sexist condescension. It implies that women are too silly or slow-witted to understand who we are – we need a big strong man to explain it to us.
This is many things, but respect is not one of them.
A long list of targets
Trump’s contempt doesn’t stop with transgender and intersex women. It extends to millions of Americans whom he has publicly belittled or mocked, including:
- Fat women
- Women in the military
- Breastfeeding mothers
- Black and brown women
- Lesbian and bisexual women
- Immigrant women (unless they are fashion models)
Maybe you don’t fall into any of those categories. Rest assured: You have a relative who does. Was your mother or grandmother an immigrant? Did they ever struggle to get by? Do you have a daughter with autism, developmental delay or other disability? Sorry to tell you, but it seems they do not deserve dignity in the Trump 2.0 vision for America.
Still, some would argue that this man loves the ladies. After all, he’s often been photographed with women, boasts of his appeal to women and speaks of his affection for women – if, that is, they are thin, white and fantastically feminine.
Suppose you (or your mom or your daughter or your sister) don’t fit the Barbie doll mold. Perhaps you are poor. Full figured. Living with a disability.
If you are white, you’re probably fine. Trump will just ignore you.
But don’t expect respect.
Lilia Cortina is University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor of Psychology, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan. She is also principal investigator of Michigan’s Gender and Respect in Organizations Laboratory. This column originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press.