News: Donald Trump Signs Directive on Transgender Military Ban
Photo Credits: Gage Skidmore
Trump signed on Friday—August 25, 2017—a directive that reverses President Obama’s policy regarding the military service of transgender individuals that allowed them to openly serve in the military.
The issuance of the memorandum ends not only the policy that allows transgender people to join the military service but it also halts “all use of Department of Defense (DoD) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resources to fund sex-reassignment surgical procedures for military personnel, except to the extent necessary to protect the health of an individual who has already begun a course of treatment to reassign his or her sex.”
According to TIME, Trump has also given Pentagon officials “six months — until March 23, 2018 — to develop an ‘implementation plan’ for how to address transgender troops already serving openly.”
For more information regarding the new directive, you may read the memorandum “Military Service by Transgender Individuals” in its entirety here.
Meanwhile, the ban on transgender military service gained a massive negative reaction on Twitter with some of the netizens calling the move “reprehensible,” “bigoted,” “discriminating,” “despicable,” and “cowardly.” Take a look at some of such reactions we gathered for you.
A night of injustice. A man who flouts the rule of law gets pardoned while transgender patriots are discriminated against by the President
— Tina Tchen (@TinaTchen) August 26, 2017
Banning the brave transgender troops from serving is so despicable by a pathetic leader that was to scared to serve himself. Indefensible.
— Sean Maguire (@sean_m_maguire) August 26, 2017
The discriminatory ban of brave transgender servicemembers has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with fear and hate
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) August 26, 2017
Transgender service members work every day to uphold our country’s core values. That’s more than I can say about @realDonaldTrump.
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) August 26, 2017
On the other hand, some of the netizens are thanking and sending love and calling the transgender service members “heroes.”
President Trump, transgender Americans bravely serving in the military aren’t a burden or a disruption. They are heroes. #ProtectTransTroops
— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) August 26, 2017
Sending love to all our transgender troops and those hoping to enlist. We will defeat this bigot and stop his evil ways #TransMilitaryBan
— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) August 25, 2017
I will forever stand by and march with our transgender troops. You are what makes America great!Thank you for your service and patriotism.
— Col Doug Applegate (@ApplegateCA49) August 25, 2017
The signing of the memorandum came almost a month after Trump tweeted that “the US government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military” largely due to the “tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” Check out said tweets below.
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
What do you think about this memorandum, guys? Do you agree with Trump’s military transgender ban? Why or why not?
Share with us your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
We should be thankful for anyone wanting to serve in our military at this point. Straight, gay, man, women or transgender should not matter as long as they can do the job and meet the requirements set forth by the DOD.
I do agree that the military should not be burdened with the cost of gender reassignment. You are what you are when you sign the contract.
It’s very clear where Trump stands for when it comes to LGBTQ rights, none! What an asshole thing to do! He’s a disgrace to this country! He just wants to reverse everything Obama approved! What a fucking joke of a president people voted for! An openly bigoted and racist president and he doesn’t even try to hide it! No he’s NOT my fucking president! Impeach his sorry ass!
If he is not your President then you must be from another country….. hope you’re here legally.
Ummm… I think he means he doesn’t feel represented by the current president, and that he didn’t vote for him. Frankly, I feel the same way.
If he and you feel not represented and even if he/you didn’t vote for him, President Trump is still the President of the United States so if you are an AMERICAN he is your President! and why do Most Liberals and democrats have to use such foul language… Thank you and have a good day God bless you, the United States of America and our President.
Conservatives enjoy creating rules and them breaking and bending them as they see fit. As a former medical Airman, I can tell you unequivocally, there are more resources being put towards erectile dysfunction and pregnancy hormones than any other sex related medical issues…
but I’m sure you, just like Trump, prefer money and lies over humanity and truth. Please remove your mouth from Trump’s nutsack and start thinking for yourself.
I honestly feel this will be defeated in the us supreme court
Good deal. Why should any of us have to pay for someone elses sex change?
I agree with you Jack.
Why do I have to pay for people’s kids? I don’t have kids and know how easy it is to make sure not to have a mistake bit I’m made to to pay for them to go to school. This is just the beginning for what this nasty thing for president will do. Any person in the LGBTQ community that thinks this is not HATE doesn’t get it.
We Gay Guys Know As Long As “TRUMP’S” In Office It Is Only Going To Get Worse On All Gay Americans! This Is Just the Beginning Of The End. He Needs Impeached Now!
Let’s think of the American military as a war machine. Every soldier has to be incredibly fit, free from chronic illness or emotional/behavioral conditions.
Peanut allergy, flat feet and depression all disqualify recruits. Gender dysphoria remains a mental classification in medicine and the military needs to focus on winning wars.
250 million Americans rely on the armed forces to keep our country safe, it’s not a place to entertain social changes. There are so many other places for transgender people to be valuable members of society, maybe not in the military.
Arturo23, I couldn’t have put it better myself. thanks for supporting our President.
70 years ago, they said the same thing about blacks. “There are so many other places for negro people to be valuable members of society, they should not serve in the combat units of the military.”
Couldn’t have put it better, Artur!
This pure hate on tRUMP’s part, but what’s even worse are the LGBTQ members who voted for this creep. 🙁
You might want to reread about what all has happen in the history of this country. The hate that is being spread by the media and all the mis informed people are why we will be repeating history. The next civil war will be a lot worse than the first one. So wake up America or we will all be doomed with all the hate from the Democrats,Media and all of you’s that think your way is better than everyone else.
The Democrats,Liberals, and the Media seem to want to start a race war! with all the hate and lies that they keep spreading, have you notice how they keep repeating the same lies over and over and then over again to to brainwash the people….CNN and MSNBC are the worst in spreading all these lies and rumors.
is anyone actually surprised by this? wherever Obama led us one step forward, Trump is determined to take us two steps back.
I think anybody and the federal payroll should be excluded from SRS simply because of the fact that they are on the taxpayers payroll. Any transgender person in the private sector who pays for his/ her own insurance is quite another matter no taxpayer dollars are involved then it is up to the individuals Insurance company’s policies and procedures and whether it will cover the cost in whole or in part for SRS. Also any individual under Federal care including prisons these are taxpayer dollars so they should not be entitled to SRS while in prison I think it’s awesome that we have a president with a backbone who will speak up and say the kind of things that need to be said without worrying about pissing people off political correctness is dead!!!!!! Political correctness has also gotten this country into the mess that it is in by the way don’t know what category I fall into TS TG TV I don’t much care for labels as it is but I’ve also considered SRS but decided against it due to age expense and last but not least having the deal with the actual transition from male to female especially as it pertains to family friends and work
US pays FAR MORE for Viagara and other ED drugs for military members. Should “tax payers cover the cost of their fucking around? Nobody seems to be pushing for a ban on ED drugs or pushing out military members who use them
I agree with the ban because trans are mentally unstable, have a 40% suicide rate, and are a burden to taxpayers for the medical costs. It’s basic logistics, common sense, and accounting; furthermore, President Trump is supportive of LGBT, the idea that he is not is a false narrative spun by the mainstream media. Educate yourselves and realize this is about saving money and not handing mentally unstable people dangerous weapons, and not placing them in dangerous and stress-inducing environments.
If we follow your ideology, gays should be discriminated in job applications because their suicide rate is 10 times bigger than their straight counterpart. (#BS)
Hello TRAJEN, thanks for your words i Agree 100% with every word you wrote.
they knew how much it cost crazy bipolar had a change of budget cuts.
First of all, there’s no need to tiptoe around the issue- we can all see this for what it is. The having to pay for reassignment surgery excuse? Bullshit. It wasn’t a problem when they were initially allowed in, Mattis didn’t mention it as being a problem, and the only reason as to why it’s an issue is because he opened his mouth and said it was. Trump never had any intention of protecting and being a friend of the LGBT community- that’s the simple truth, and if any gay used his fake as fuck photo op- standing in front of a crowd holding the rainbow flag upside down, no less- as an excuse to vote for him, then I’m sorry, but you were duped. His poll numbers are in the toilet, so therefore he has to throw his white supremacist base a bone- two, if you count the pardon of Sheriff Arpaio along with the transgender ban. He’s a racist, a transphobe, a homophobe, a liar- if anyone decided to think about it long enough, they’d be able to come up with countless negative adjectives to use towards this man. All minority groups are in his crosshairs- gays, transgender folks, blacks, Muslims, Latinos, and all this while he snuggles up to the trailer park supremacist base that put him in office. He plans on rescinding LGBT protections in Obamacare. He’ll probably go after DREAMers, breaking up families and deporting people who are probably doing a hell of a lot more with their lives than what he’s done with his. I personally expect some type of religious freedom order to appear at some point, though I’ll admit that a positive outcome in the Supreme Court case regarding that issue may make him think twice. In other words, this probably won’t be the only shoe that drops- there’ll be more to come afterwards.
It’s easy to fill paragraphs with hateful messages, but a lot of us lived in a trailer park, worked our asses off and now live a decent life. Most Americans don’t fret that I am gay, they’re proud a guy from the trailer park got out!
Trump’s been a NY fixture for 30 years, never had a reputation as a homophobe or racist till the far left propaganda machine cranked up. Americans want the government to run better, for everyone. Sometimes it’s just a decision about what is right, which recruits will be the best soldiers..
Well, the wording of my comment was “trailer park supremacists”. Now, if you’re gay and were able to move away from such a place and make a successful life for yourself, great. And I used those words more so to refer to their debased way of thinking as opposed to anything else. And anyone that’s a white supremacist, or who runs around with a flag touting a symbol that calls back to one of the darkest moments of oppression and horror in human history as a sense of pride *deserves* every single hateful message he gets. Trump’s racist leanings go way back- he was found guilty of housing discrimination against blacks back in the 70s, it was exacerbated by the birther conspiracy against the first black president of the US, and the recent pardoning of Arpaio, who was found *guilty* of unlawfully profiling Latinos, as well as the horrible human rights abuses the Latino population in AZ endured during his tenure, is just an exclamation point on his acceptance of racism. He ripped away the LGBT protections established under Obama, appointed several anti LGBT people into his administration, including most glaringly Mike Pence, and now we have this, an unwarranted attack against the trans community so he can kiss up to his base. So yes, he’s a homophobe- as well as a liar, since this goes against any promise he’s made to “protect” the LGBT community. The government running better than anyone line is a bunch of hogwash. Republicans don’t wan’t health care for everyone. They want to gut the insurance of millions of people- including people who voted for Donald Trump- and put it on the back of a massive tax cut they want to deliver to their wealthy campaign donors. And don’t get me started on the repeated efforts to disenfranchise people of color by suppressing their voting rights through gerrymandering and reorganizing of districts. So, if we’re waiting for Trump and company to provide a government that runs better for “everyone”, it just might take a while.
Thanks ARTURO23, again your words are true and honest, PLEASE keep on supporting our President and those of us that voted for him.
Just wanted to say that Asprio was railroaded my the Obama administration as his attorney’s requested a jury trial and was denied that right which is the reason for his pardon. In this country any person can request a jury trial and have the right to one per the constitution.
But we’re ok with spending 10 times the amount of transgender medical expenses on erectile dysfunction medication???
Put others aside, i do think taxpayers shouldn’t pay for those who want to undergo the transition just because they are in the service. It’s just lots of money spent unwarranted. But what i can say I’m a foreigner here. Pay my taxes and Not allowed to vote.
Transgenders who have completed the steps or treatment to bring their physical, emotional and psychological selves in line should be able to serve as any other person in the military. They are comfortable in their own skin. They are who they are without confusion. Others know how to relate to them.
Those who are wrestling with, considering, or who are in the midst of bringing their physical, emotional and psychological selves in line are an issue. Hormonal therapy and surgery are serious treatments that require focus, downtime, and recovery time. It’s the same as any other soldier who has a medical emotional, or psychological condition which could affect their performance in service until it was resolved. Those conditions would result in short term or permanent dismissal from service. The military is not a place for transgender transition.
A lot of trans people joined the military for the sole reason of the free sex reassignent surgery.
I say, let trans people serve, but don’t pay for their surgeries. Then we’ll see which trans people really wanted to be soldiers, and which ones just wanted the free surgery.
Any numbers please ?
Please get one thing straight, Trump does not care nor did he ever care about anyone, anything, or any issue. The man is self absorbed, egotistical, has no sense of humbleness, and cares for nothing but his own image. Instead of trying to rally a country and bring it back together, he chooses to bash those within his own party, praise those who don’t deserve praise, and preaches dangerously divisive rhetoric. He acts like a child when he doesn’t get what he wants and it’s always everyone else’s fault but his. I’m sorry but I am a veteran and to treat any citizen currently in or wanting to serve in the worlds only all voluntary military force with such utter disregard is a disgrace in itself. You want an example of just what kind of expenses you are paying for as a taxpayer, you should really pay attention before opening your mouth, try all his trips to his own properties for starters….we pay for that and it is not cheap, lets not forget the the Secret Service who is supposed to protect him, they are not getting payed at all because they cant afford it anymore from his trips to his properties. You do realize that Trump is making a fortune every single time he visits those properties and its at the taxpayers expense. So chew on that a while before opening your mouth to praise, defend, or hate on him. Look at all the facts before you make a statement blindly. This issue isn’t about the Democrats, the Republicans, or any of that short sighted stupidity. This has now become a matter of humanity in and of itself. Try looking at history and read up on all the dictators, police states, and similar instances of power mongers, I’m sure they had “good intentions and where fine people” themselves……….please take the damn blinders off and open your eyes to whats going on and not what someone tells you! You are not sheep, you are independent, free-thinking, human beings.
Is there a bigger oxymoron than a gay trump supporter? I don’t think so. Anyway, while I agree that military finding (Tri-Care) should not cover gender reassignment for troops wanting to transition nor should people in transition be permitted to complete their change upon signing that contract, I do find it BS that transgendered cannot serve in the military. There are a few cowards in this comments section and handfuls in the white house right now who would never serve and make up excuses as to why they wanted to but never could join. If any transgendered individual wants to sign up, ESPECIALLY while Trump is in office and systematically picking fights and alienating us from our allies, then they deserve to serve. His supporters are definitely not lining up to join.
The bottom line is though once you sign that contract, you are male or female only. There is no changing it, canceling it or amending it. Those of us like myself that have served know this. If you want to reassign yourself, do it on your own time and money. You should want to serve to improve your life, earn benefits by serving honorably, gain valuable skills normal citizens will never obtain and because the defense and protection of our country and allies is important to you. It shouldn’t be because someone will foot the thousands it takes for gender reassignment.
I’d rather be a gay Trump supporter than a gay suckboy to the Democrats.
As a gay man that loves trans people and also served many years in the military I am torn on this issue because I feel anyone should be allowed to serve but I also feel that many service members do not want trans people using the same restrooms and berthing spaces so the military has to restructure building and ships to accommodate trans people which the money used to do this falls on the taxpayers and our military needs the money to build our defense back up and to update our defenses in order to properly protect this country after the last 3 presidents depleted our defenses to the point we can’t properly defend this country.
Also I don’t feel the taxpayers should have to pay for these trans people to get their SRS. That seems to be the main issue where these people are joining just for the surgery and the way I see it, it’s no different then trans people in prison suing states to pay for their SRS. If you want to have SRS then you and your families should pay for it not taxpayers.
I guess we all know now where the money will come from to build the wall….ijs
Transgender is an entirely different bag of tricks from gay which is another separate bag of trick from lesbian and bisexual.
Why are we dumped into a box with lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, queer, and gender fluid? The answer is to pigeonhole us politically.
As a gay man I completely support Trump on this. But then again, I think for myself and do not let Soros, the Antifa, and the Democrats command me into political submission.
I’d rather stand with Milo.
well, you and Milo are both assholes, so I can see why you would mention him.