President repeals transgender military ban
President Joe Biden repeals former President Donald Trump’s military ban. The signing of the executive order took place Jan. 25, 2021. “It is my conviction as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces that gender identity should not be a bar to military service. Moreover, there is substantial evidence that allowing transgender individuals to serve in the military does not have any meaningful negative impact on the Armed Forces,” Biden said in the executive order.
Presidet Joe Biden made history Jan. 25 and reversed former President Donald Trump’s military ban for transgender indivduals.
“All Americans who are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States should be able to serve. The all-volunteer force thrives when it is composed of diverse Americans who can meet the rigorous standards for military service, and an inclusive military strengthens our national security,” Biden said in the “Executive Order on Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform”.
Trump made the decision to ban transgender indivduals from serving in the military July 26, 2017.
He tweeted, “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.”
News reports suggest the Pentagon knew nothing about this decision before the tweet, meaning that the policy change may not have been advised by military generals. The Pentagon and federal courts came out to say that transgender individuals could start enlisting Jan. 1, 2018. The White House and Justice Department came back to impose Trump’s ban in July 2018. A different version of Trump’s ban went into effect April 2019 keeping openly transgender individuals from being able to serve in the military.
Biden met with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in the Oval Office to sign the “Executive Order on Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform”.
“… it shall be the policy of the United States to ensure that all transgender individuals who wish to serve in the United States military and can meet the appropriate standards shall be able to do so openly and free from discrimination,” Biden said in the executive order.
Senior Ivory Rightnar is a reporter on The Oriole staff. She enjoys playing multiple sports (volleyball and softball) and cheering on her school’s activities....
