TOWIE star Vas J Morgan slams Trump's dangerous roll back on transgender protections

Former TOWIE star Vas Morgan wrote an emotional open letter after what he called Donald Trump's "deliberate strike against the trans community", saying he was putting people's lives in danger

Former The Only Way is Essex star Vas J Morgan issued a powerful statement following Donald Trump's announcement of his new two-gender policy, saying he was "grieving" with and would stand by his trans siblings. The London-born reality star, who lives in Essex but spends much of his time on American soil, urged everyone to speak out against the new rulings and said they were putting "people's lives in danger".

"To my community, allies, and those who hold power," he began. "Yesterday's announcement by Donald Trump wasn't just another headline. It was a deliberate strike against the trans community, a group that continue to fight for the right to simply exist. My heart is heavy, but not surprised, as I scroll through timelines flooded with support for his dangerous rhetoric, especially from the wealthy and powerful who remain untouched by its consequences."

Former Apprentice host Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on 20 January and quickly got to work making changes to some of his predecessor Joe Biden's policies, and promised to address some of the so-called "woke" issues surrounding gender and equality.

Among the executive orders he rolled back was a directive introduced by Biden to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. He also signed an order officially designating only two genders - male and female - and instructed that they can't be changed.

"As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female," he said in his inaugural address on Monday.

In his lengthy open letter on Instagram, 36-year-old Vas, who appeared in TOWIE from 2014 to 2019 and also on Celebs Go Dating in 2018, urged people with influence to show compassion and use their influence to help keep all Americans safe.

"To those billionaires, influencers, and anyone backing policies that deny trans people their humanity: if you have a single friend, family member or loved one in the LBGTQIA+ community, now is the time for compassion," he wrote. "Look beyond your privilege and comfort. Understand that your support for policies like these emboldens a culture that puts people's lives in danger."

Vas continued, "Trans people deserve safety. They deserve dignity. They deserve the freedom to live authentically without fear of violence, rejection or erasure. These are not radical asks, they are basic human rights. To my trans siblings: I see you. I grieve with you, and I will stand alongside you. Your existence is valid, your life is precious, and no law or hateful rhetoric can take that truth away. To everyone reading this: Acknowledge the harm being done. Speak up. Act. Because silence, in this moment, is complicity. We must protect each other now, more than ever."

During his first stint as President, Trump introduced a ban on transgender Americans joining the military. In 2018 he signed a memorandum that ruled that people with a history of gender dysphoria would be barred from serving in the military "except under certain limited circumstances".

However when Biden became President after Trump, he repealed the ban, and the White House released a statement saying : "President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a bar to military service, and that America's strength is found in its diversity".