US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he will not allow any transgender people to join the military, saying that it is not easy to bear the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” they cause.
“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. Thank you.”
He announced his decision in a series of Tweets on Tuesday.
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
At present, 2,500 to 7,000 transgender people are already serving in the US military. It is unclear whether they will be pushed out or not.
In June this year, Pentagon chief, Jim Mattis had ordered a delay of six months in recruiting transgenders in the military. This plan had been initiated by former President, Barack Obama.
Since the last three months, the US has been witnessing a rise in differences over the issue of transgender rights in the country. The Trump administration had ordered the schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms corresponding to their gender identity. The students were earlier bound to use the bathrooms according to the gender on their birth certificate.
In June this year, the Pentagon deferred the recruitment of transgenders until January 1, saying “review their accession plans and provide input on the impact to the readiness and lethality of our forces.”
However, the different military services had different views on when to accept transgender recruits. Spokeswoman Dana White said last week, “Different services had different takes. Some asked for time… there were all kinds of different recommendations.”