Donald Trump’s divisive fear mongering has been a constant in the 10 days since his inauguration, his tool of choice to sow hate has been executive orders.

This week, the president has released a new batch of executive orders with abhorrently misleading and astoundingly stupid names that target transgender people. The first of these orders, released on Monday and titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” bans transgender people from serving in the military. While one of the main reasons many Republicans advocate for this move is that it is expensive for the military to pay for medical care, in reality the costs are about $3 million a year, a drop in the bucket for the military compared to other treatment programs they provide. For example, the Department of Defense spent nearly $60 million per year on erectile dysfunction medications for military beneficiaries between 2011 and 2015, per NPR. According to a survey of active-duty military, about 15,000 members are transgender, meaning this order has the potential to disrupt the lives and careers of thousands of people who have voluntarily decided to put their lives on the line and serve our country, something President Trump showed he lacks the courage to do.

The second executive order, signed on Tuesday, is nonsensically named “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” It states that the federal government will not "fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support" any gender-affirming care for children, including the use of puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries. By targeting younger people, this order is an attack on the most vulnerable members of the trans community and will create even more problems for a demographic that already faces immense challenges. This is blatant discrimination that puts trans kids and their parents in a dangerous and unfair situation. Through no fault of their own, they are at a significant disadvantage in terms of access to health care compared to cisgender families in exactly the same socioeconomic position.

Both of these unfairly and unnecessarily target an already marginalized group with sweeping and hurtful policies that will only make their lives more difficult. One must ask, why do trans people draw so much of the president’s hatred and ire? Could it be that he has no real solutions to bringing grocery prices down, or any clue on governing? The answer is obvious-he is a fascist who constantly spouts lies to divide us and create chaos so he can then claim he fixed our problems. This is the classic autocrat playbook. We cannot fall for his evil, despicable attacks on our transgender kids and fellow Americans serving in the military. We will fight back with every bone in our bodies.

- Tony