Did Pence Convince Trump to Ban Transgenders from Military?
The Trump Administration has banned transgenders from serving in the US Military. While he claims that some limited exceptions will be made regarding the ban, it is not yet clear what that means for the currently serving transgendered members of the Armed Forces. At best, they will be allowed to stay in, but the ban will almost certainly hold their military careers back one way or another.
Trump had initially expressed positive opinions towards the transgender community before his presidential run went into full gear. However, he quickly changed his tone once he gained traction with the Neo-Cons, and it wasn’t long after courting fundamentalists in 2016, that Trump chose Mike Pence (a known homophobe) as his running mate.
The ban reverses the previous policy set in place by past Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, which called for allowing transgenders to openly serve. President Trump at first called for an expulsion of all military personnel who are transgender, but he has somewhat doubled back a little after running into some Constitutional Law issues on this subject (nothing new for him).
So what will be the career fate for the transgendered military service members who are currently in? And will the ban ever be lifted? No one knows at the moment.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trumps-past-statements-lgbt-rights/story?id=48858527
http://www.indems.org/a-timeline-of-mike-pences-discrimination-against-the-lgbt-community/
https://www.aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/breaking-down-trumps-trans-military-ban
http://www.indems.org/a-timeline-of-mike-pences-discrimination-against-the-lgbt-community/
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/trumps-new-transgender-military-ban/556445/
