Ban transgender soldiers? Why not just stop covering Viagra?

Now the creeping bigotry of the Trump administration blossoms into action.

First target: transgender soldiers.

Who’s next? President Trump announced Wednesday morning that transgender people would be banned from serving in the military in any capacity, citing — in a tweet, of course — “tremendous” medical costs.

According to an analysis by the Military Times, the military spends 10 times as much on erectile dysfunction medicines (read: Viagra) — $84 million annually — as it does on yearly transition-related medical care for active-duty transgender service members.

Today there are an estimated 1,320 to 6,630 transgender active-duty members and another 1,500 in the reserves, where medical benefits are more limited. At a time when recruiting is not exactly easy, can the nation really afford to toss those people away?

But this isn’t about money. It’s about Trump and some military leaders buying into prejudice and fears of people who are not precisely like them. Professionalism, hard work and just getting the job done do not matter.

A retired Navy Seal of 20 years, speaking with Business Insider on Wednesday, took on the president.

“Let’s meet face to face and you tell me I’m not worthy,” Kristin Beck said. “Transgender doesn’t matter. Do your service.”

Beck was deployed 13 times, serving in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Business Insider. She scoffed at the thought that other service members’ discomfort at working with transgender colleagues would interfere with service.

“A very professional unit with great leadership wouldn’t have a problem,” Beck said.

It’s all in the leadership. And leadership starts at the top.

Transgender soldiers risking their lives for all of us are not the issue. President Trump is.