| Dear Katy, Last summer, Trump abruptly announced on Twitter that "the United States Government will not accept or allow...Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military."1 His unhinged tweet soon turned into policy. Federal judges attempted to block it from going into effect, but Trump's conservative Supreme Court recently temporarily reinstated the ban.2 Trump's decision to ban transgender people from the military is a policy blatantly rooted in transphobia, hatred and bigotry - and is a direct assault on the LGBTQ community. Fortunately, Congress is another line of defense. Allies just introduced legislation that would prohibit the Department of Defense from denying the enlistment or continued service of transgender people solely on the basis of their identity.3 Tell Congress: Protect our transgender service members and pass bills H.R. 1032 and S. 373. Click here to sign the petition. Trump launched his vile and ugly attack against transgender service members based on debunked, extreme right-wing talking points. He claims that the medical cost for transgender troops would be a "tremendous burden" on the military.4 The truth is, there is no evidence that there have ever been or will be high costs for treating transgender people in the military. Based on studies released by the Pentagon itself, medical care for transgender troops is only 0.0014 percent of defense spending.5 It is clear that this ban has nothing to do with saving taxpayer money - is strictly about discrimination. The majority of Americans support equal protection under the law for LGBTQ Americans, but in most states, people can be fired from their jobs, evicted from their apartments, or denied services because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and presentation.6 By making incendiary, bigoted policy proposals like banning transgender people from military service, Trump is not only refusing to create a climate of safety and inclusion, but he is also proactively attempting to dismantle the rights of LGBTQ people. One hundred and eleven members of Congress have already co-sponsored legislation to block the ban and protect our transgender service members from discrimination.7 We need to build more support to pass bills H.R. 1032 and S. 373 and make sure that the military ban never goes back into effect. Tell Congress: Stand with transgender troops to block the military ban. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/congress-block-trans-ban?t=9&akid=31613%2E12967895%2EZ2KLeZ Thanks for fighting back, Thaís Marques, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Donald Trump, "Tweet," July 26, 2017.
- David Welna and Bill Chappell, "Supreme Court Revives Trump's Ban On Transgender Military Personnel, For Now," NPR, Jan. 22, 2019.
- Felicia Sonmez, "Lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill that would reverse Trump's ban on transgender troops," The Washington Post, Feb. 7, 2019.
- John Tozzi and Rebecca Greenfield, "Here's How Many Trans People Serve in the U.S. Military," Bloomberg, July 26, 2017.
- Schaefer et al. "Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly," RAND Corporation, 2016.
- Catalyst, "Quick Take: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues," June 6, 2018.
- Trudy Ring, "Rep. Joe Kennedy Introduces Resolution Against Trans Military Ban," The Advocate, Feb. 11, 2019.
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