On this day in 1948, President Harry S. Truman racially integrated the US Armed Forces when he signed Executive Order 9981. So it’s especially cruel that President Trump announced in an early morning series of tweets today, of all days, that he is reinstating the ban on transgender military service that was lifted last year. Governing by tweet is unacceptable. Turning the clock back on transgender equality is far worse.
People For the American Way condemns Trump’s transphobia:
Transgender people who serve in our military deserve our gratitude and respect, and it’s appalling that President Trump is treating them so cruelly and so cynically. President Trump claimed to be an ally to the LGBTQ community, but he has since shown that he’s more than willing to use bigotry and hate when it serves his own short term interests. Once again, Trump has proven he is willing to sacrifice our country’s values in order to score a few political points.
Transgender people in our military have repeatedly demonstrated their character, their integrity and their love of our country. Donald Trump has never demonstrated anything of the sort.
We stand with the National Center for Transgender Equality and all trans people.
This is worse than don’t ask don’t tell, this is don’t serve, don’t serve. This is an appalling attack on our service members; it is about bigotry rather than military readiness, reason or science. It is indefensible and cannot stand. The President wants to discard thousands of trained and skilled troops who are already serving honorably and done nothing but be honest about who they are. To turn away qualified recruits simply because of who they are is shameful way imaginable to show our country’s gratitude to the people who serve our country.
We will fight back.