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| Protesters gather in front of the White House in Washington, DC.Trump announced on July 26 that transgender people may not serve “in any capacity” in the US military, citing the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” their presence would cause.
President Trump announced that
transgender people may not serve "in any capacity" in the US
military, upending a key policy from Barack Obama's administration and drawing
swift condemnation.
Announcing the major policy change on Twitter, Trump said the military
should be focused on "overwhelming victory," and not burdened with
the "tremendous" medical costs and disruptions that transgender
personnel would entail.
"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 US Military,"
Trump tweeted.
The announcement served as a stunning reversal for the military, which
has been working with military heads to implement an Obama-era plan to start
accepting transgender recruits.
The previous policy also allowed trangenders troops already serving to
do so openly.
Pentagon officials appeared blindsided by Trump's tweets, with spokesman
Navy Captain Jeff Davis referring questions to the White House.
The president thought the previous transgender policy was
"disruptive," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said,
and decided it eroded military readiness and the camaraderie among troops.
"The decision is based on a military decision. It's not meant to be
anything more than that," Sanders said.
She did not provide additional details to Trump's bare-bones Twitter
announcement.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, currently on vacation, only learned of
Trump's decision Tuesday after he announced it.
When pressed on the extent to which Trump consulted with him or the
Pentagon, Davis said: "This was something that was the product of
consultation."
Last month, Mattis said the five armed service branches could delay
accepting transgender recruits until January 1 to finalize some details.
- Unanswered questions -
Trump's announcement left unanswered a slew of questions, including
whether transgender personnel currently serving may soon face getting booted
from the military.
Sanders said the Pentagon and the White House would work on the matter
together and would "lawfully determine" next steps.
Estimates of transgender troop numbers vary widely. A much-cited Rand
Corporation study in 2016 found there are between 1,320 and 6,630 among the 1.3
million active duty service members.
But rights groups say there are about 15,000 active transgender troops.
The Rand study said that only a small portion of service members would
ever seek gender transition affecting their deployability or health costs,
adding between $2.4 million and $8.4 million to the Pentagon's vast budget.
Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler called the study "very
flawed" and said Trump's announcement would improve military readiness.
"When you have this (gender reassignment) surgery, you can't be
deployed for almost 300 days and somebody else has to go in your place,"
Hartzler said.
Transgender rights in America have increasingly been in the spotlight in
recent months, especially over how states regulate the use of public restrooms.
The Trump administration has faced protests after it reversed Obama-era
federal protections urging schools to allow transgender students to use the
bathroom corresponding to their gender identity, not the gender on their birth
certificate.
- Every patriotic American -
Trump's announcement drew a broad backlash, with former vice president
Joe Biden saying "every patriotic American who is qualified to serve in
our military should be able to serve."
Ash Carter, who was Obama's last defense secretary and oversaw the
policy shift allowing transgender troops to enlist and serve openly, said the
decision would send "the wrong signal" to potential new recruits.
"What matters in choosing those who serve is that they are best
qualified. To choose service members on other grounds than military
qualifications is social policy and has no place in our military," Carter
said.
The American Civil Liberties Union called the move "outrageous and
desperate," and Republican Senator John McCain blasted Trump for
announcing the policy on Twitter.
At least 18 countries already allow transgender personnel to serve
openly in their militaries, including Britain, Israel and Australia.
- Cowardice -
Perhaps the most famous transgender US soldier is former Army
intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served seven years in prison for one
of the largest dumps of classified documents in US history.
During her incarceration in military prison, Manning battled for and won
he right to start hormone treatment.
Manning, who is still employed by the Army and retains its insurance
coverage, has become an icon for transgender activists.
"So, biggest baddest most $$ military on earth cries about a few
transgenders people but funds the F-35? Sounds like cowardice," Manning
tweeted after Trump's announcement, referring to the US military's most
expensive, state-of-the-art warplane.
Retired Navy SEAL Kristin Beck, who came out as transgender after
spending 20 years with the elite commandos, challenged Trump.
"Let's meet face to face and you tell me
I'm not worthy," Beck told Business Insider.
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