July 26, 2017
As of July 19, President Trump has tweeted 991 times since taking office, according to CNN. But on the morning of July 26, @realDonaldTrump sent out a tweet that completely reversed a progressive decision President Barack Obama made in 2016.
Trump stated that the government will no longer “accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.” In June of 2016, the Obama administration announced that transgender people could not be discharged from the military just for being transgender. The government also promised to pay for gender transitions for people in the military.
According to The New York Times, some of Trump’s defense officials were surprised at the tweet, saying they had been “studying how transgender troops affect other service members, but not with a view toward removing transgender people from the military.” Lots of advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations, including OutServe-SLDN, an organization geared towards helping LGBT service members and veterans, shared their views about the decision.
OutServe-SLDN said they would stand against Trump in federal court in order to protect the rights of transgender troops. On the other hand, lots of conservatives applauded Trump’s move, especially since it is set to cut government spending.
While it is unclear what this decision means for active duty military members who are transgender, there is sure to be even more controversy in the days to come.