Washington: President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would ban transgender people from serving “in any capacity” in the US military, stopping a rule his predecessor had in the works that would have allowed them in the ranks.
“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 said in three tweets on Wednesday. “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.”
Defence Secretary James Mattis in June delayed for six months a plan the Obama administration approved in 2016 to begin allowing transgender recruits into the military.
The Republican-led House this month rejected an effort to block the Pentagon from paying for gender transition surgeries and hormone therapy, with 24 Republican lawmakers joining Democrats in opposition.
Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, blasted Trump’s action as “ugly and wrong” in a tweet. “Discrimination isn’t patriotic — allowing all who love this country to serve, is,” he added.
“No American, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be prohibited from honour + privilege of serving our nation #LGBT,” Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, said in a tweet.
Talented Americans
Mattis’ predecessor, Ash Carter, said in June 2016 that transgender people would be able to serve openly in the military. The policy was set to take place July 1 before Mattis delayed it.
“This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force,” Carter said at the time. “We’re talking about talented Americans who are serving with distinction or who want the opportunity to serve. We can’t allow barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission.”
It’s not clear exactly how many people will be impacted by the new policy. The Rand Corp estimated that there were between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender individuals actively serving in the military, out of 1.3 million service members.
The 2016 study estimated that medical treatments for transgender service members could cost between $2.4 million and $8.4 million per year, an increase of 0.13 per cent.
Last month, the Defence Department celebrated LGBT Pride Month, highlighting the contributions of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
“The struggles, sacrifices and successes among the LGBT community continue to shape our history and remind us to uphold tolerance and justice for all,” Anthony M. Kurta, acting undersecretary of defence for personnel and readiness, wrote in a June 2 memo to the Defence Department.
