Outrage over transgender ban
new york — Most LGBT-rights activists never believed Donald Trump’s campaign promises to be their friend. But with his move on Wednesday to ban transgender people from military service, on top of other actions and appointments, they now see him as openly hostile.
Leaders of major advocacy groups depicted Trump’s Twitter pronouncement as an appeal to the portion of his conservative base that opposes the recent civil-rights gains by the LGBT community.
“His administration will stop at nothing to implement its anti-LGBTQ ideology within our government — even if it means denying some of our bravest Americans the right to serve and protect our nation,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the LGBT-rights group GLAAD.
Transgender service members have been able to serve openly since last year, after a move by then-defence secretary Ash Carter. Trump’s vow to end that policy was the latest, and perhaps the most stinging, of a string of actions since his election that have dismayed supporters of LGBT rights.
The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT-rights group, depicted the Republican president’s tweets on Wednesday as a “heinous and disgusting” attack on transgender service members.
“It is also the latest effort by Trump and Mike Pence to undo our progress and drag LGBTQ people back into the closet by using our lives as political pawns,” said the group’s president, Chad Griffin.
Trump’s pronouncement was hailed by some conservatives who have long complained that the military was undermining its effectiveness by allowing gays, lesbians and transgender people to serve openly. Opponents also have contended that the military should not bear the cost of any medical procedures related to gender transition.
“Our troops shouldn’t be forced to endure hours of transgender sensitivity classes and politically correct distractions like this one,” said Tony Perkins, a former marine who heads the conservative Family Research Council.
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Centre for Transgender Equality, denounced Trump’s declaration as “simple bigotry”. “This attack has nothing to do with military readiness, reason or science,” she said. “It is indefensible.”
Among those dismayed by Trump’s tweets was Lieutenant Commander Blake Dremann, a transgender man who’s served in the navy for 11 years and received his latest promotion after the policy change last year.
“Trans service members are con- tinuing to do our jobs,” Dremann said. “People know who we are now and it becomes personal, especially when you’ve got families that are going to be affected by this.”
Another active-duty transgender soldier, captain Jennifer Peace, said she was concerned how a possible ban would affect her, her family and other transgender service members. “My command has told me in the past the only thing that we should discriminate on is job performance, and I hope that military leadership will handle this issue the same way,” Peace said in an email.
Captain Jacob Eleazer, a transgender man who serves in the Kentucky Army National Guard, said he was stunned by Trump’s action.
“Fired by tweet. It was honestly pretty shocking,” said Eleazer, who took the day off from his job as a therapist in Lexington, Kentucky, to assess the situation.
It’s unclear whether Eleazer’s career will be affected.
Eleazer, 31, has been in the military since 2006. In 2014, he told his superior officer he was transgender, and he got full support.
Attorney Sasha Buchert, a transgender woman who works for the LGBT-rights group Lambda Legal, recalled feelings of fear and isolation while serving in the marines in the 1980s, decades before her gender transition. — AP
it is the latest effort by Trump and Mike Pence to undo our progress and drag lGBTQ people back into the closet by using our lives as political pawns Chad Griffin, Head of LGBT-rights group
Our troops shouldn’t be forced to endure hours of transgender sensitivity classes and politically correct distractions like this one Tony Perkins, A former marine
My command has told me in the past the only thing that we should discriminate on is job performance, and i hope that military leadership will handle this issue the same way Jennifer Peace, Transgender soldier