Trump Expels Our Transgender Troops…by Tweet
On This Day In 2017
In 2016, Obama ended the U.S. military’s ban on transgender people serving in the armed forces. But OTDI 2017 at 8:55 am EDT, Obama’s successor unexpectedly fired off three tweets which kicked them out: “After consulting with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow …” (Next tweet, please.) “Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” He went on to pretend that trans troops create “tremendous medical costs and disruptions,” which distract our men and women from achieving “decisive and overwhelming victory.”
Not just mean and useless, but also filled with lies: Far from consulting “his Generals” before tweeting out his made-up bigoted fantasy, Trump had simply typed and clicked whatever came to his mind that morning. Secretary of Defense James Mattis (who opposed the ban) was on vacation, and General James Dunford, Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, essentially remarked that a tweet was not an order and would not be implemented. Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley told reporters that he “found out about the ban ‘the same way everybody else did—on the news.’”
As for speculation about “tremendous medical costs” caring for those soldiers? The military now spends 10 times as much on treating erectile dysfunction as it would on transgender care.
It’s official: Trump = Biggest Jerk Ever.
Biden/Harris wasted no time reinstating: Five days after taking office, their Administration reversed the Trump ban with their “Executive Order Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform.”
Dive Deeper
The Trump tweets are in The Atlantic
The facts surrounding the tweet are in Vox
PolitiFact brings Viagra into the debate
NBC details the implementation of the ban
The Biden/Harris reversal