Pittsburgh council set to condemn Trump’s transgender ban

The Pittsburgh City Council president is set to introduce a measure Monday condemning President Donald Trump’s announced ban on transgender service members in the U.S. military.

“This is a moment of great strain and difficulty in our nation,” council President Bruce Kraus said in a statement Thursday. “Our president has made it clear through his regressive and bigoted policies that he would place ideology and politics above supporting the brave American patriots who have volunteered to serve in our nation’s armed forces.

“In America, a person’s gender identity is not a matter of concern for the government, and should not determine whether a person is permitted to exercise their patriotism and love for country by serving in the armed forces,” Mr. Kraus added.

Mr. Trump, in a tweet Wednesday, said the military “cannot be

burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

Still, the Pentagon has not yet changed its policy governing transgender service members, The Washington Post reported, citing a letter from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mr. Kraus’ measure, known as a “Will of Council,” is a nonbinding, symbolic effort.

The council president will “stand in solidarity” with other council members and “the LGBTQIA+ community to push back against the [Trump] policy and show our city’s support for gender identity, expression and orientation equality,” his office said in a news release.

The acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual.

The “+” symbol typically signals further inclusiveness.

In remarks Wednesday, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto also criticized the Trump administration move, saying transgender people in the military should be honored.