U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he will not allow transgender people to serve in the US military.
The decision represents a major shift in military policy, which the President chose to announce on his personal Twitter account. President Trump claimed he made the decision after consulting with “[his] generals and military experts."
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
....Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
....victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
He added, “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming...victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."
Trump’s decision continues his pattern undoing legislation and policy passed under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Ash Carter, who served as Obama’s defense secretary, issued directive last year that allowed transgender soldiers to serve openly in the military, even allowing soldiers to undergo reassignment surgery. This followed another attempt by the Trump administration to pass a historic healthcare bill plan through the Senate in order to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
It is not clear how Trump plans on enforcing his decision, or what will happen to transgender soldiers currently in service.
According to GLAAD, the term transgender is used "to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender identity is a person's internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman [whose] gender identity does not fit neatly into those two choices. For transgender people, the sex they were assigned at birth and their own internal gender identity do not match."
The decision contradicts a promise Trump made in June of 2016 to support the LGBT community, promising he would “fight for [them] while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten [their] freedoms and beliefs.”
Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2016
