Trump Announces Sweeping Ban on All Transgender Military Service Members

President Trump announced that transgender people serving in the military are hereby banned to serve, thereby reversing Obama’s policy that did exactly the opposite — it’s only been in place for a year.

Trump’s claim? That trans people will burden the military with “tremendous medical costs” and “disruption.”

“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.”

In 1948, as People magazine reports, President Harry S. Truman signed executive order 9981, establishing equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services and leading to the end of segregation in the services.

Currently there are around 6,600 active duty trans service members, and according to a study by the RAND Corporation, the total “cost” of these gender reassignment benefits cost the Pentagon around $2.4 to $8.4 million a year, just a tiny fraction of the military healthcare budget.

Needless to say, military experts and activists aren’t happy:

Donald Trump Military Trans