In the wake of President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders targeting “gender ideology” and transgender people across America, the Queer Resource Center (QRC) of the Claremont Colleges has prepared to respond and support the queer and transgender community at the 5Cs.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has signed several executive orders targeting the transgender community, including executive orders calling for two unchangeable sexes, restricting gender-affirming care for minors, banning transgender people from serving openly in the military and targeting transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“Besides the legislative side, there is just so much rhetoric and ideology that’s being pushed,” QRC staff member Arden Deforest PO ’25 told TSL. “Part of what feels really scary is that we’re moving backwards.”
Deforest, who has worked at the QRC for three years, said that the center will continue to offer free resources such as binders, gender-affirming services, trans tape, safe sex supplies and menstrual products for students.
According to QRC staff member Vaughn Brown PO ’25, students simply have to fill out a form linked on the QRC website to have resources delivered anonymously. Alternatively, they can pick resources up at the center in person.
Brown said that the space offers students community, hosting events about topics like queer intimacy and body positivity and helping them destress through crafting.
“We’re working especially on making sure people remain visible and feel like they will have spaces to be in, and that that space is encompassing for people of different access needs and interests,” Brown said.
Brown added that the Claremont Consortium’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) provides coverage for gender-affirming care, including hormone treatments, and that it has previously covered things such as students’ top surgery. Student Health Services (SHS) also offers gender-affirming care.
With Trump’s recent executive order, though, Deforest said that it’s hard to know what things will look like for the transgender community in the coming months, specifically when it comes to passport changes, renewals and travel. The order makes uncertain the ability to have “X” on your passport — something North American and European countries have historically offered to affirm people who don’t identify as male or female.
“There is a lot of fear about what will be allowed,” Deforest said. “There’s certain countries where you can’t travel if you have an X on your passport. It’s seeming like the U.S. will become one of those countries.”
Trump’s most recent action against the transgender community came in the form of a Feb. 5 executive order intending to keep transgender women out of women’s sports. Shortly after, the NCAA officially restricted players in the women’s league to women who were assigned as “female” at birth.
“We continuously review and track all executive orders and in this instance, we are also monitoring and in communication with NCAA and SCIAC conference staff on their evaluation and response surrounding this policy change,” CMC Director of Brand Marketing & Web Strategy Helena Paulin said in a statement to TSL on behalf of CMS athletics. “And as is always the case, we robustly support all of our student-athletes.”
Director of Pomona-Pitzer Athletics Miriam Merril said in an email to TSL that the department is committed to supporting all Sagehen student-athletes so that they can thrive during and beyond their college years.
“We continue to support every student-athlete that is part of our community and to monitor policy changes such as this one so we can take appropriate steps to comply with all laws,” Merril said.
Bob Gaines, Pomona’s acting president, released a statement addressing recent executive orders on Thursday, Feb. 6. In his statement, Gaines did not address Trump’s recent anti-trans executive orders but discussed the college’s response to executive orders targeting immigration policies, federal funding, anti-DEI efforts and the potential endowment tax.
“For anyone experiencing great strain or stress from the various Executive Orders, please remember that support is available in many places across this caring community, where we prize intellectual and personal diversity,” Gaines wrote. “We also encourage faculty and staff to reach out to Human Resources and students to contact their class deans with individual concerns they may have.”
Brown said that the colleges are playing their response to the executive order quite politically and that regular communication and aspects of transparency would make students feel more protected and supported within the colleges.
“I’m firmly of the belief that it’s not enough to just invite people to the colleges, you have to ensure there are resources and spaces for thriving once people transition and matriculate and become a part of our campus community,” Brown said. “They’re reaffirming their commitment to minority communities, but what does that look like? What they can specifically offer has been left rather vague.”
In a message to the queer and transgender community, Deforest said to remember the power of collective hope.
“Queerness has always existed and will always exist because you can’t legislate identity out of existence,” Deforest said. “The way that we get through this is the way that we always have, which is in finding community and finding joy. Existence is resistance sometimes.”
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