TRUMP IS PUSHING FOR A TRANSGENDER BAN IN THE MILITARY: WHAT IT MEANS FOR RECRUITS

By Allison Kirschbaum

The U.S. Navy started to turn away transgender recruits as President Trump signed an executive order to implement new policies on transgender service members. This resulted in receiving lots of hate, as Trump signed an executive order without really studying the effectiveness of transgender service members during the past years, including the transgender ban in the military.

Trump’s Policy Changes and Implications

As soon as Trump returned to office, he signed an executive order for a new policy for transgender people in the military, as he stated that being transgender is “not consistent” with being a service member of the military. According to Trump, being transgender in the military could conflict with a Soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.

Trump wanted to reflect the military to his administration by being strong-fisted. This policy is now effective as recruits who self-identify as transgender are not eligible to process for enlistment at this time, according to the memo released from Trump’s administration.

To avoid having potential conflict in application sites in line with the transgender ban in the military, recruiters are advised that if they are unsure if the applicant is transgender, they must proceed with the application and let the Military Entrance Processing Station deal with the issue. They also added a script in the memo provided to prevent any violent reaction from transgender applicants to keep it professional.

This military transgender policy change is huge. The Biden administration supported gender-affirming care, which allowed transgender people to join the military. In contrast, Trump’s administration only recognizes two genders, male and female, making it hard for transgender individuals.

The Impact on Transgender Service Members

The transgender ban in the military could have a negative impact, as loss of employment could increase mental health struggles. This policy also presents the possibility of disrupting the lives of transgenders who dedicated themselves to serving in the military for the benefit of the country.

While this impacts the military branch by losing some experienced personnel, as many of the transgender who joined the military under Biden’s administration are trained to be excellent, this policy leads those experienced members to voluntarily leave the military as they fear they will be harassed or such.

This policy could also damage the military readiness and cohesion, limiting qualified applicants. It also presents the possibility of contradicting the military values of meritocracy, as they stated, “People should be judged by their competence, their character, and their capability.”

In just a few days after his executive order, a group of soldiers of six transgender military and two transgender individuals took to challenging President Trump’s decision in court.

The Historical Context of LGBTQ+ Policies in the Military

This transgender ban in the military is not new, as on August 25, 2017, Trump signed a presidential memorandum on military service by transgender individuals with the intent of preventing transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military for the reasons that he believed the government would be a financial burden due to sex reassignment procedures and associated costs.

Below is the historical context of LGBTQ+ policies in the military:

1982: The Department of Defense released a policy stating that homosexuality is incompatible with military service, resulting in an average number of military service members being discharged annually on the basis of their sexual orientation.
1988: The Department of Defense and Defense Personnel Security Research in Education Center undermined the statement in 1982, as they provided research that finds being gay or lesbian in the military assures no significant risk to security.
1993: Former President Bill Clinton signed a policy named “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” which banned openly gay and lesbian people from joining the military unless they stayed “closeted."
2011: Former President Obama revoked Clinton’s policy to let homosexuals serve openly.
2015: The Military Equal Opportunity Policy has been modified to let homosexuals be included in military service members, as announced by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.
2016: Eric Fanning is openly gay and was appointed as secretary of the Army, making him the first openly gay secretary of a U.S. military branch.

The success ended after Trump’s transgender military ban on any member of the LGBTQ+ from joining the military. Few have challenged this decision in court, as it prevents them from exercising their constitutional rights.

At that time, many successfully denied Trump's decision-making on the ban, which enabled a few transgenders to still join the military; however, as it continued, the ban was effectively concrete. But after that time, Biden’s administration revoked the policy to enable transgender people to join again, but when Trump returned to office he reinstated the ban.

Reactions from Advocacy Groups and Officials

Advocacy groups of LGBTQ+ did not take this policy well, as four LGBTQ civil rights groups planned to sue Trump’s administration because of the executive order. Two LGBTQ rights groups have already taken action in which they filed a federal lawsuit against President Trump and his administration to challenge the signed order as it violates the Constitution's equal protection clause.

GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis stated that there is nothing new with this policy or ban against LGBTQ+ individuals, as many years they faced discrimination under Clinton’s military policy, which forced them to hide their identity, which Trump did the same in his first term. Ellis added that Trump’s administration is being discriminatory and inaccurate by targeting transgender people who served or who are serving in the military with honor to protect our country and keep the military safe and stronger.

Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang also responded with a statement that this policy that Trump signed is very discriminatory and compromises the safety of all Americans, as even transgender military service members understand that if you wear the military uniform, there are no differences; all focus is on the assigned mission.

This statement and decision by Hoang were also weighed in by state lawmakers. Few are asking why Trump decided to focus on targeting transgender individuals in the military while there are very serious cases that he needs to make a plan or solution for.

President Trump's and his administration's reinstatement of the transgender ban in the military received lots of backlash and sparked controversy. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are still finding ways to challenge this policy and hoping for a good result. The future of LGBTQ+ in the military is still unknown, with most being afraid of losing jobs and their rights being taken away.

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