President Biden Repeals Trump’s Transgender Military Ban
A promise of change that Joe Biden ran on is a promise that he kept and demonstrated to the American people in the first days of his presidency.
Under the Obama administration, different military support and combat roles were open to women and members of the LGBTQ community. However, Trump decided to prohibit transgender individuals from serving. The question the public asked was why. However, the only reasoning he gave was: “After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.”
President Biden fulfilled another crucial pledge, repealing the transgender military ban to ensure everyone who’s qualified to serve in the military can do so openly and free from discrimination. pic.twitter.com/b24PHI9OII
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 25, 2021
Leaders on both sides of the aisle voiced their concern over the dubious nature of the ban. The most plausible reason for this ban originated from suspending the medical costs that aided a transitioning individual which military benefits would cover. One Vox article pointed out that this medical spending was only a fifth of what the military spent on Viagra. Some lawsuits were able to fight the ban and the policy itself grandfathered individuals currently serving; meaning they would be allowed to stay and use medical benefits as they were employed before the ban was enacted.
“For a lot of us, life has been on hold while all this is going on.”
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 25, 2021
President Biden’s reversal of Donald Trump’s ban on transgender troops clears the way for many young Americans whose dreams of serving in the military had been sidetracked. https://t.co/LBgxL8tv0D
While some conservatives would say the policy was a purely fiscal decision, this completely undermines the needs of transgender people as transitioning is what makes them who they truly are. Therefore, a ban attacking their medical benefits was clearly a transphobic act.
This is big news: President Biden just lifted the Trump administration’s heinous, discriminatory ban on transgender Americans serving in our military. Trans rights are human rights!
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 25, 2021
Once President Biden repealed this policy, many LGBTQ supporters voiced their positivity and happiness that they were once more accepted in an American institution. One leader of an LGBTQ employment equality and advocacy group stated that “This move will no doubt have reverberations across employers, many of which have invested in programs to support transgender and broader LGBTQ inclusion.” Just like many solutions, if a change occurs at the top, it can trickle down into smaller organizations and businesses to make a difference for everyone.
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