Two Weeks to Wait
The Trump administration has lost every court battle in its attempt to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. As of January 1 new recruits who identify as transgender were, by court order, supposed to be allowed to sign up to enlist.Â
But that does not mean President Trump has given up. Ever since last summer when he was briefed on transgender service members in the military – and then minutes later tweeted new policy, that he was banning all transgender service members from the military – Trump has been trying to make that happen.
As Buzzfeed’s Chris Geidner reports Wednesday evening, the Trump administration is about to unveil a new policy on transgender people serving in the military. And almost no one knows what it is.
Which means trans people once again will likely be fearful for their futures for at least the next few weeks.
“Justice Department lawyers have told a federal judge that they will be defending a new policy regarding transgender military service that will be ‘disclosed’ by the Trump administration on Feb. 21,” Geidner reports. “No further information about what that policy will be was included in the order, and federal officials declined to provide any further information about the substance of the forthcoming policy.”
Geidner goes into several reasons why the February 21 date, but the bottom line is the Trump administration will be unveiling new policy on transgender service members in a two weeks and no one – except the trump administration –  knows what it is.
Last week the RNCÂ passed a resolution, the Associated Press reported, to stand by Trump’s decision to state being transgender is a “disqualifying psychological and physical” condition, and block transgender people from serving.
“While the resolution states the committee supports Trump’s ‘intent and prerogative to strengthen our military with sound personnel policies,’ it also urges the Justice Department to seek U.S. Supreme Court action,” the AP noted.
On July 26 of 2017 Trump announced a total ban on all transgender people in the military, which he has yet to accomplish.
“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,” Trump said via Twitter. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.”
He had not, in fact, consulted with his generals and there is no burden of tremendous medical costs or disruption.
Image:Â DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro via Flickr
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