Last week we heard about the ‘troubling’ news that President Donald Trump plans to ban all transgender people from serving in the military. It is a move that has seen him condemned all around the world, not just in his own country. Still, like most things during his tenure, there was no associated plan; just a tweet. This means that it is not yet law. And hey presto, it looks like he is getting a lot of pushback from members of the military.
More than 50 retired generals and admirals are warning that the ‘discriminatory policy’ would ‘degrade military readiness and harm morale.’
A Significant Letter
The senior military officials said in a letter which was published on Tuesday that transgender military members “must not be dismissed, deprived of medically necessary health care, or forced to compromise their integrity or hide their identity”.
“This proposed ban, if implemented, would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent and compromise the integrity of transgender troops who would be forced to live a lie, as well as non-transgender peers who would be forced to choose between reporting their comrades or disobeying policy,” the letter said.
Gen. Pollock, a retired Major General who helped write the letter says it would be expensive to jettison those who are already serving.
“We’ve trained them. We’ve invested money in their talents. We should say thank you and allow them to serve honorably,” she told the Guardian. “We’re proposing taking seasoned people with expertise and just letting them go.
“Policy and military decisions are not done with a tweet,” added Pollock, who served in the army for 36 years.
On top of that, and maybe even more significantly, the head of the U.S Coastguard, Commandant Paul Zukunft has said he will defend his trangender personnel from any attack from Trump, 13. There are currently 13 trans people serving.
Zukunft described his call to Lt. Taylor Miller, who is reportedly the first openly transitioning member of the Coast Guard
“I told Taylor I will not turn my back,” Zukunft told the Center for Strategic and International Studies forum. “We have made an investment in you and you have made an investment in the Coast Guard, and I will not break faith.”
The Coast Guard is actually part of the Department of Homeland Security but “aligns closely with Department of Defense on accessions and workforce/HR policies and will be working with them on this new policy going forward,” according to a department spokesperson.
A spokesman for the Pentagon said on Monday that it is still awaiting for clarification on how the policy will be shaped.
What will Be the Result?
We will see what happens on the future with this one. It does seem that Trump is getting a lot of pushback. One wonders whether he will actually listen to reason, or just fire people who don’t agree with his decision. Or will we get some sort of fudge where he gets to claim victory, but nothing much changes? Who knows with this President.
As ever, we stand with the transgender people from all over the world. No-one would be victimised and you don’t need to be part of a minority to try and stop it happening.
Hey, if someone is willing to die for their country, then it shouldn’t matter how they identify. A coward is a coward, bravery is bravery.
Since then, he has specialised in articles on the battle for equal rights for sex workers, sexual health, as well as bringing the readers fun news from around the world. He also has a major interest in LGBT rights, and is an active campaigner in this field.
When he isn't fighting the good fight, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, and young daughter. He also enjoys reading and taking long walks.
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