The change would affect approximately 1.4m people in the US who identify as transgender, a different gender from the one at birth, and/or gender non-conforming.
The move would potentially reverse the progressive policies put in place by Barack Obama which allow gender to be the choice of individuals.
Laverne Cox, who was the first openly transgender actor to win an Emmy, said on Twitter: “We must not give up the fight.
The musician Moby wrote on social media: “Trans rights are human rights: Damn right.”