Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced new departmental guidelines that recognize only two sexes, marking a shift in federal policy under the Trump administration.

“This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government,” Kennedy stated in a press release on Wednesday.

The announcement comes just days after Kennedy was confirmed as the country’s Health and Human Services Secretary.

️: HHS extends a warm welcome to @SecKennedy as they embark on their mission to Make America Healthy Again! pic.twitter.com/faLIAGJEzh

— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) February 19, 2025

According to a newly released HHS memo, the department will define a person’s sex as an “immutable biological classification as either male or female.”

The guidance clarifies that sex is determined at birth and is not subject to change.

HHS also unveiled a new webpage titled “Protecting Women and Children,” outlining the administration’s approach to biological sex and gender policies.

“A person’s sex is unchangeable and determined by objective biology,” the page states.

“The use of hormones or surgical interventions do not change a person’s sex because such actions do not change the type of gamete that the person’s reproductive system has the biological function to produce.”

• Sex: A person’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.
• Female: is a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing eggs (ova).
• Male: is a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing sperm.
• Woman: an adult human female.
• Girl: a minor human female.
• Man: an adult human male.
• Boy: a minor human male.
• Mother: a female parent.
• Father: a male parent.

The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader efforts to reverse gender-related policies from previous administrations.

“President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14168 on January 20, 2025, entitled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which directs the Department of Health and Human Services (the Department) to promulgate clear guidance to the U.S. Government, external partners, and the public, expanding on the sex-based definitions set forth in the Executive Order.”

Since taking office, Trump has taken steps to reinstate biological definitions of sex in federal agencies.

One of the administration’s earlier actions included reinstating a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, reversing a policy implemented under Joe Biden.

HHS is expected to implement further regulations based on the new guidelines, affecting federal health programs and policies related to sex-based protections.

More details on the department’s enforcement of these policies are anticipated in the coming weeks.

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