Politics

Trump Is Getting Slammed After Banning Trans People From The Military

America's first openly trans soldier hit out at Trump, calling him "a war-dodger who has no connection to reality".

by Tom Clift  27 July 2017

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Donald Trump is being slammed on all sides after announcing that he will no longer allow transgender people to serve in America’s armed forces.

The President announced the ban via Twitter.

“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” he wrote. “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 new policy marks a drastic departure from that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, whose administration announced last year that it would allow transgender people to serve openly in the military. It is the latest attack by the Trump administration on the rights of LGBTIQ people. In February, Trump revoked an Obama-era guidance to public schools letting transgender students use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

The President came to his latest decision within a matter of days, according to sources who spoke to The New York Times. It does appear to have caught The Pentagon off guard, with a spokesperson directing all questions relating to the ban to the White House. It is also unclear what will happen to the thousands of transgender people currently on active duty.

The order has been condemned by politicians, activists and members of the LGBTIQ community.

Joshua Block, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & HIV Project called Trump’s decision “an outrageous and desperate action”.

“The thousands of transgender service members serving on the front lines for this country deserve better than a commander-in-chief who rejects their basic humanity,” he said.

“This has been studied extensively, and the consensus is clear: There are no cost or military readiness drawbacks associated with allowing trans people to fight for their country. The president is trying to score cheap political points on the backs of military personnel who have put their lives on the line for their country.”

Retired Army sergeant Shane Ortega, who was the first out trans soldier to serve in the U.S. military, told Mic that Trump was “a man who is literally a war-dodger, who comes from a life of privilege and [a] silver spoon, who has no connection to reality whatsoever”.

Other transgender military personnel shared their reaction to Trump’s decision on social media.

According to a recent study by the RAND Corporation, there are as many as 6,630 transgender service people currently serving in the active component of the US military.