Judge clears way for Trump Administration to enforce ban on transgender recruits in military
A federal judge has cleared the way for the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender recruits in the military.
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Mar 17, 2019, 8:42 PM
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Updated 1,958 days ago
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A federal judge has cleared the way for the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender recruits in the military.
The Defense Department has announced that transgender military members will no longer be able to transition to another sex and will have to serve in their birth gender starting April 12.
The Defense Department has announced that transgender military members will no longer be able to transition to another sex and will have to serve in their birth gender starting April 12.
Kristen Browde, a co-chair of the National Trans Bar Association, says this will hurt the whole country.
"This isn't just bad social policy. It's tantamount treason. What Donald Trump and his administration are doing is sabotaging the military,” says Browde.
The memorandum states troops with gender dysphoria or those who enlist before the April 12 deadline can transition and receive hormone treatments.
After that, they will have to choose whether to serve or transition.
Troops and recruits will have to use the uniforms, pronouns and bathroom facilities for their biological sex.
"The military was fine with the way it was - the generals, the commanders. The troops have been doing the job and now you want to say oh, you can identify as transgender, you just can't be transgender,” says Browde.
The announcement comes after President Trump said transgender people would not be allowed to serve in the military at all back in 2017. This policy falls shorter than that, but Browde says this will cause many qualified and passionate transgender service members not to enlist.
"It will prevent anyone who's transgender from serving in the military -- and that's what Donald Trump and Mike Pence wanted. This is not about military policy. This is about their attempt to attack a vulnerable community,” says Browde.
The memo says a service member can be discharged if they don't comply with the new regulations and seek to transition to another gender.
The Department of Defense issued a statement reading in part, “Transgender individuals are not excluded from military service, and DOD policy specifically prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. But all persons, whether or not they are transgender, must meet all military standards, including the standards associated with their biological sex."
"This isn't just bad social policy. It's tantamount treason. What Donald Trump and his administration are doing is sabotaging the military,” says Browde.
The memorandum states troops with gender dysphoria or those who enlist before the April 12 deadline can transition and receive hormone treatments.
After that, they will have to choose whether to serve or transition.
Troops and recruits will have to use the uniforms, pronouns and bathroom facilities for their biological sex.
"The military was fine with the way it was - the generals, the commanders. The troops have been doing the job and now you want to say oh, you can identify as transgender, you just can't be transgender,” says Browde.
The announcement comes after President Trump said transgender people would not be allowed to serve in the military at all back in 2017. This policy falls shorter than that, but Browde says this will cause many qualified and passionate transgender service members not to enlist.
"It will prevent anyone who's transgender from serving in the military -- and that's what Donald Trump and Mike Pence wanted. This is not about military policy. This is about their attempt to attack a vulnerable community,” says Browde.
The memo says a service member can be discharged if they don't comply with the new regulations and seek to transition to another gender.
The Department of Defense issued a statement reading in part, “Transgender individuals are not excluded from military service, and DOD policy specifically prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. But all persons, whether or not they are transgender, must meet all military standards, including the standards associated with their biological sex."
