Trump gives the Pentagon six months to kick THOUSANDS of transgender service people out of the military if they are deemed ‘non-deployable’
In July Trump announced on Twitter a ban on transgender service members
Only now has a memo been sent explaining how that ban is to be implemented
It says Defense Sec. Jim Mattis must expel ‘non-deployable’ service members
And being transgender makes them ‘non-deployable,’ the guidelines say
Opponents say nothing in ongoing transgender treatment affects deployment
And surgery could happen on base, just like a gall bladder operation, they said
The ban is opposed by nearly 60 per cent of Americans, a poll revealed in July
Estimates put the cost of transgender service members at $2.4m-$8.4m per year
The military spends $84m on Viagra per year and $6.27billion in total
By JAMES WILKINSON
DAILYMAIL.COM
24 August 2017
A month after he announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military via Twitter, Donald Trump has issued a memo on how the decision is to be implemented.
The two-and-a-half-page note says Defense Secretary Jim Mattis must consider a service member’s ‘deployability’ when deciding whether to eject them from the military.
That means that if they are unable to serve in a war zone, take part in training or serve on a ship for months, they must go, the Wall Street Journal reported.
It has not been spelled out exactly how the criteria will be assessed, however the Trump administration seems to be implying that it does not believe transgender service people are deployable.
The policy gives the Pentagon six months to oust ‘non-deployable’ transgender service members, bans new transgender hires and orders the Pentagon to stop paying for trans service members’ medical treatments.
It has been criticized by transgender representatives.
‘Transgender people are just as deployable as other service members,’ said Sue Fulton, the former president of Sparta, a military organization for LGBT people that advocates for open service.
‘Other service members may undergo procedures when they are at home base, just as other service members schedule shoulder surgery or gall bladder surgery,’ added Fulton, who achieved the rank of captain in the army, and is not transgender.
She said that there are no ‘ongoing treatments’ that would render transgender soldiers, sailors and pilots non-deployable.
‘Thus there’s no difference between the deployability of transgender service members’ and that of others, she said.
A Rand Corp study commissioned last year estimated that there were between 1,320 and 6,000 transgender people openly serving in the military.
Advocacy groups put the figure for those on active duty at 7,000 and total figures across all areas of the military at 11,000.
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