SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Critics of President Donald Trump's efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military protested in New York City's Times Square in 2017. (Photo: Jere Keys/Flickr/cc)
With Rollout of New Rules, Trump Admin Signs Off on 'Purge' of Trans Troops
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
Mar 13, 2019
The Trump administration on Tuesday took a major step to bar transgender troops from the U.S. military, kick-starting a constitutionally dubious "purge" with a new set of rules sure to continue its drawn out battle over the policy in federal courts.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office."
--Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE
"The start of this looming purge represents an unprecedented step backward in the social and civil progress of our country and our military," Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), said in a statement.
President Donald Trump initially announced a ban on trans troops with a series of tweets in 2017--signaling his intention to reverse a policy implemented under former President Barack Obama in 2016 that was praised by much of the LGBTQ community.
Trump's attempts to expel trans people from service and block them from enlisting sparked legal challenges, but in January, the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing majority gave the green light for the administration to pursue its "bigoted" and "cruel" effort while fights in court continue.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office," Tobin said, calling on Congress to block the policy.
Aaron Belkin is the director of the Palm Center, a think tank that has conducted research on trans people serving in the military. With these rules, he said, "the Trump administration has chosen prejudice and politics over the truth of open service as revealed by the testimonies of dozens of medical and military leaders and the service and sacrifice of 14,700 transgender service members."
Despite ongoing litigation, the second-in-command at the Defense Department signed off on a memo (pdf) detailing the administration's official rules. As of April 12, transgender service members and new applicants only can serve under their "biological sex," effectively forcing them to conceal their gender identity or leave the military.
New applicants with gender dysphoria--a medical diagnosis for someone who experiences distress tied to the difference between the gender they were assigned at birth and the gender they believe themselves to be--are "presumptively disqualified" (pdf), as are those with a history of medical transition treatment--specifically, cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
Current service members who joined the military in their preferred gender or are diagnosed with gender dysphoria before the Trump administration's policy takes effect are exempt from the new rules. Under the Pentagon's policy, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
--Jennifer Levi, GLAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) are among the groups who have taken the administration to court over the trans troop ban and other anti-LGBTQ policies.
"With brazen disregard for the judicial process, the Pentagon is prematurely and illegally rolling out a plan to implement the ban when a court injunction remains in place prohibiting them from doing so," noted Jennifer Levi, GLAD's Transgender Rights Project director. "In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
NCLR legal director Shannon Minter vowed to "continue our fight in the courts until the ban is permanently blocked," but also called on Congress to take swift action and urged "everyone who cares about the integrity of our military and the well-being of our troops to contact your representatives and tell them to support this legislation."
This post has been updated with a link to the Pentagon memo and details from the directive.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Trump administration on Tuesday took a major step to bar transgender troops from the U.S. military, kick-starting a constitutionally dubious "purge" with a new set of rules sure to continue its drawn out battle over the policy in federal courts.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office."
--Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE
"The start of this looming purge represents an unprecedented step backward in the social and civil progress of our country and our military," Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), said in a statement.
President Donald Trump initially announced a ban on trans troops with a series of tweets in 2017--signaling his intention to reverse a policy implemented under former President Barack Obama in 2016 that was praised by much of the LGBTQ community.
Trump's attempts to expel trans people from service and block them from enlisting sparked legal challenges, but in January, the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing majority gave the green light for the administration to pursue its "bigoted" and "cruel" effort while fights in court continue.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office," Tobin said, calling on Congress to block the policy.
Aaron Belkin is the director of the Palm Center, a think tank that has conducted research on trans people serving in the military. With these rules, he said, "the Trump administration has chosen prejudice and politics over the truth of open service as revealed by the testimonies of dozens of medical and military leaders and the service and sacrifice of 14,700 transgender service members."
Despite ongoing litigation, the second-in-command at the Defense Department signed off on a memo (pdf) detailing the administration's official rules. As of April 12, transgender service members and new applicants only can serve under their "biological sex," effectively forcing them to conceal their gender identity or leave the military.
New applicants with gender dysphoria--a medical diagnosis for someone who experiences distress tied to the difference between the gender they were assigned at birth and the gender they believe themselves to be--are "presumptively disqualified" (pdf), as are those with a history of medical transition treatment--specifically, cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
Current service members who joined the military in their preferred gender or are diagnosed with gender dysphoria before the Trump administration's policy takes effect are exempt from the new rules. Under the Pentagon's policy, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
--Jennifer Levi, GLAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) are among the groups who have taken the administration to court over the trans troop ban and other anti-LGBTQ policies.
"With brazen disregard for the judicial process, the Pentagon is prematurely and illegally rolling out a plan to implement the ban when a court injunction remains in place prohibiting them from doing so," noted Jennifer Levi, GLAD's Transgender Rights Project director. "In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
NCLR legal director Shannon Minter vowed to "continue our fight in the courts until the ban is permanently blocked," but also called on Congress to take swift action and urged "everyone who cares about the integrity of our military and the well-being of our troops to contact your representatives and tell them to support this legislation."
This post has been updated with a link to the Pentagon memo and details from the directive.
The Trump administration on Tuesday took a major step to bar transgender troops from the U.S. military, kick-starting a constitutionally dubious "purge" with a new set of rules sure to continue its drawn out battle over the policy in federal courts.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office."
--Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE
"The start of this looming purge represents an unprecedented step backward in the social and civil progress of our country and our military," Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), said in a statement.
President Donald Trump initially announced a ban on trans troops with a series of tweets in 2017--signaling his intention to reverse a policy implemented under former President Barack Obama in 2016 that was praised by much of the LGBTQ community.
Trump's attempts to expel trans people from service and block them from enlisting sparked legal challenges, but in January, the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing majority gave the green light for the administration to pursue its "bigoted" and "cruel" effort while fights in court continue.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office," Tobin said, calling on Congress to block the policy.
Aaron Belkin is the director of the Palm Center, a think tank that has conducted research on trans people serving in the military. With these rules, he said, "the Trump administration has chosen prejudice and politics over the truth of open service as revealed by the testimonies of dozens of medical and military leaders and the service and sacrifice of 14,700 transgender service members."
Despite ongoing litigation, the second-in-command at the Defense Department signed off on a memo (pdf) detailing the administration's official rules. As of April 12, transgender service members and new applicants only can serve under their "biological sex," effectively forcing them to conceal their gender identity or leave the military.
New applicants with gender dysphoria--a medical diagnosis for someone who experiences distress tied to the difference between the gender they were assigned at birth and the gender they believe themselves to be--are "presumptively disqualified" (pdf), as are those with a history of medical transition treatment--specifically, cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
Current service members who joined the military in their preferred gender or are diagnosed with gender dysphoria before the Trump administration's policy takes effect are exempt from the new rules. Under the Pentagon's policy, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
--Jennifer Levi, GLAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) are among the groups who have taken the administration to court over the trans troop ban and other anti-LGBTQ policies.
"With brazen disregard for the judicial process, the Pentagon is prematurely and illegally rolling out a plan to implement the ban when a court injunction remains in place prohibiting them from doing so," noted Jennifer Levi, GLAD's Transgender Rights Project director. "In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
NCLR legal director Shannon Minter vowed to "continue our fight in the courts until the ban is permanently blocked," but also called on Congress to take swift action and urged "everyone who cares about the integrity of our military and the well-being of our troops to contact your representatives and tell them to support this legislation."
This post has been updated with a link to the Pentagon memo and details from the directive.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.