President Donald Trump is in the news due to a controversial and abrupt decision, which he chose to announce on Twitter. On July 26, he suddenly announced that Transgender People will not be allowed to serve in the military. The abrupt announcement apparently caught the Republican congressional leaders, as well as the defense secretary off-guard.
President Trump posted on Twitter that the decision to ban transgenders from serving in the military was taken as the American forces were unable to bear the huge medical costs because of them. Trump stated that the decision to impose this ban was taken after consulting with military experts.
However, reports state that the defense secretary Jim Mattis was informed of this decision just a day prior to its announcement.
The bizarre ban
According to WLTZ, the President decided to announce the ban to resolve a silent battle, which was brewing between members at Capitol Hill. The debate was over whether money from taxpayers should be used to pay for the hormone therapy and gender transition surgeries for the transgender members in the U.S. military service. Thanks to a difference in opinion, a defense and security bill worth $750 billion was in line for elimination, during a vote that took place this week. However, rather than resolving that small issue of conflict, President Trump decided to flip over the entire policy concerning transgender military service members.
Trump’s decision to impose this ban on the specific population has invited ire from all strata of society. The decision was so abrupt and taken in haste that the White House was not prepared to answer even the most preliminary inquiries such as how the ban would be executed and what would be the status of the openly transgender people currently on active duty.
Press Secretary of the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders was quoted saying that the details of the ban would have to be worked out between the White House and the Department of Defense.
Ban on transgenders invites public ire
Trump’s decision of imposing the controversial ban has drawn outrage from not only LGBT groups and commissions, but also from celebrities.
Singer Lady Gaga and Big Bang Theory actor Jim Parsons openly condemned the ban on transgenders. Many transgender advocacy groups, as well as civil rights established, have criticized the policy and some have even vowed to challenge the decision in court. Ironically Trump’s decision to ban transgenders from serving in the U.S. military contradicts his own claims that he made during his 2016 presidential campaign. In-fact Trump in his nomination speech even stated that he would do everything in his power to protect the LGBT citizens of the United States, The New York Times reported.
