There was a ban on transgender people in the US military which was lifted during the Presidency of Barack Obama. New U.S. President Donald Trump decided to change the Obama policy with the transgender policy. He believes that this policy is too expensive for the American economy because it involves more expensive health costs. Trump has decided to reinstate the ban but there is a strong opposition.
The US President signed a memo on Friday, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) decided to take actions. The ACLU has opened a legal case that favors six transgender people serving in the military.
The ACLU states that the ban on transgender discriminates and violates the human rights of people. They believe that the ban is cruel and it's based on speculations and myths. There are also specialists that state that transgenders in the military don't involve expensive health costs.
There was another legal action
This is the second Legal Action that has been filed this Monday to protect the rights of the transgenders, there was another one that was filed to favor LGBT associations and three transgender people. The ACLU uses all the legal weapons it has available to fight against the ban. There are estimates that between 4,000 and 10,000 members of the active US military and reserve are transgenders.
Results of a review
A staff lawyer that works for the LGBT & HIV Project of the ACLU, Joe Block, stated that the claims made by the US President can be refuted by the results of the review process of the Department of Defence. Joe Block states that allowing transgenders to serve and providing them with health care is not a threat to the readiness or cohesion of the military forces.
There is one person that complains about the ban and she has served in the US Navy for 11 years. This person has also served a limited period of time in Afghanistan.
Many have been left in the limbo
Thousands have been left in the limbo after Jim Mattis, the US Defence Secretary, had all this issue in his hands. The main reason for the recruitment ban was related to economic expenditures.
The new administration doesn't want the US government to spend more money in sex-reassignment surgery for active personnel in the military. Anyway, this policy was attacked after studies showed that the US military spends ten times more in erectile dysfunction medication than on medical expenditures related with transgenders.
