A betrayal of the troops
Just when most in the free world believed it was safer to come out, people like U.S. President Donald Trump try to pull them back in. The latest step backward came last week with Trump’s decision to ban transgender people from U.S. military service.
Transgender service members have been able to serve openly since last year.
It did not take long for the move to stir the pot, something Trump has not shied away from since taking office.
For Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. – a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm during the Iraq war – the announcement was rightly seen as discriminatory.
“When my Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq, I didn’t care if the American troops risking their lives to help save me were gay, straight, transgender or anything else,” she told reporters.
“All that mattered was they didn’t leave me behind.”
Compounding this disgraceful conduct by America’s commander in chief, Trump made the transgender announcement in a tweet, a trivialization of the presidency that he has made a trademark of his tenure in office.
His startling tweet outburst said that transgender individuals would no longer be allowed to enlist or serve in the military.
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump said in a series of tweets.
“Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”
It was a typically callous, vacuous way for the reality show performer who made “You’re fired” famous to notify loyal American service people that they were being scapegoated and unjustly dismissed from military service on a political whim, without any genuinely credible cause.
It was shocking this came less than a month into the six-month delay set by Defence Secretary James Mattis to review the military policy on transgender service members, a good indicator that Trump did not really consult any military experts.
In Britain, defence chiefs were quick to show their support for the service of transgender people in the military. Also on Twitter, Rear Admiral Alex Burton, Commander U.K. Maritime Forces, said the military opposed discrimination, adding: “We’re a better fighting force for it.”
Sir Michael Fallon, Britain’s defence secretary denounced the Trump ban, saying it was “only right” that the military opposed all forms of discrimination.
Canada’s military is taking steps to promote diversity in the ranks as well as recruiting more gay, lesbian and trans troops. The Canadian Armed Forces tweeted about its welcoming approach to recruitment last Wednesday.
“We welcome Cdns of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Join us!” it reads, with a photograph of Royal Canadian Navy Band members playing instruments festooned in Pride colours.
Trump needs to consult a calendar. It’s 2017 and time he fully accepted the responsibility to build up and not tear down.