United States President Donald trump said that banning transgenders from serving in the country's armed forces would be a great favor to the American military.
Complicated issue
Seeking to defend his unpopular decision to prohibit Transgender people from serving in the US army, Trump claimed that his proposal would be a gift to the armed forces. Trump announced the controversial decision on Twitter to the reported surprise of senior US military officials. Trump claimed that he enjoys massive support from the United States transgender community.
Trump said that the issues of transgender military troops had been a complicated issue for the United States, but in his opinion, banning members of the community from serving would be a great favor to the military.
However, Trump's declaration seems to have created confusion and uncertainty and has been met with mixed reactions from former and current military officials.
After the president's initial announcement, General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded by stating the US army attitude towards transgender soldiers would not change until Trump issued his directive via formal channels. In a message to military officials, General Dunford said that until Trump uses legal channels to issue his directive, the US armed forces would continue to treat all its staff with respect.
According to Reuters, several former US army generals and admirals have voiced their fear that President Trump's ban on transgender troops could cause severe disruptions in the military.
Transgender court action
President Trump's controversial tweets on transgender troops have galvanized five active transgender soldiers to sue the Republican President and his government. The five transgender soldiers argue that any prohibition on transgenders serving in the military would be against the United States Constitution.
Filing a complaint in the Washington DC federal court, the members claim that President Trump's announcement has already negatively affected their right to continued service in the US military.
In the lawsuit, the five transgenders accused the White House of turning Trump's tweets into official guidance, which is then forwarded to the Department of Defense.
The plaintiffs remain anonymous and have been named in the lawsuit as Jane Does. They are only identified as service members who have served the United States for many decades. They have also declared their transgender status to the military leadership since the policy was reviewed last year.
