Trump prohibits transgender soldiers the military service: protests flame!

Trump prohibits transgender soldiers the military service: protests flame!

Washington, D.C., USA - The US President Donald Trump has ordered the exclusion of transgender people from military service with a new provision. This decision follows a previously expanded directive by the Ministry of Defense, which was issued in January. According to this document, transgender people are denied access to the army and military service, unless they could receive an exemption. As OE24 , the military will also identify and dismiss these soldiers within 30 days. In this specified policy, it is underlined that transgender identities would not be compatible with the required military properties such as "humility and selflessness".

political dimensions of the decision

Trump himself explained that more examinations were necessary to confirm that the presence of transgender in the military would not impair the effectiveness or cohesion of the armed forces. He also spoke of the "enormous medical costs" that the service of transgender soldiers brings with it, such as Tagesspiegel . This argument was rejected by several studies as unsustainable, which showed that the annual costs for medical treatments were between $ 2.4 and $ 8.4 million-a fraction of the Pentagon budget.

activists and former military members, including Chelsea Manning, criticize these measures sharply and warn that Trump not only attacks transgender people with this policy, but also normalize hatred and prejudices. As the reports show, up to 15,000 transgender soldiers are active within the military, although official figures are far below. Trump's decision is part of a larger strategy that is characterized by trans- and homophobic attitudes in his cabinet, especially under the influence of his Vice President Mike Pence, who actively campaigns against the equality of the LGBTQ+ community.