Trump Issues Order to Ban Transgender Troops

In August 2017, Trump tweeted about banning transgender troops from our military: http://smartdissent.com/article/transgender-military-ban-tweets-dont-equal-policy-changes

In September 2017, Trump issued an executive order on that ban: http://smartdissent.com/article/update-executive-order-transgender-military-ban-signed

In November 2017, a Judge blocked that ban: http://smartdissent.com/article/judge-blocks-trump-s-ban-transgender-troops-military

Last week on Friday after 9pm, Trump issued a memorandum to ban transgender troops.

Trump on Friday issued orders to ban transgender troops....from serving in the military except in select cases — following through on a controversial pledge last year that has been under review by the Pentagon and is being fought out in the courts.

The memorandum... states that... “persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria.... are disqualified from military service except under limited circumstances.”

The memo also said that Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, “in the exercise of his independent judgment, has concluded [the policies] should be adopted by the Department of Defense.” It added that “the Secretary of Homeland Security concurs with these policies with respect to the U.S. Coast Guard,” which would also be affected by the policy.

...a number of top military officials over the past year-- including most members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- have gone out of their way to defend the thousands of transgender troops who are believed to be serving in the military.

Hate is not a policy that can run our country.  This continued effort harms our military and therefore our country.

A 2016 study conducted by the government-funded RAND Corporation for the Pentagon estimated that nearly 4,000 transgender troops were serving on active duty and in the reserves. Military LGBT advocacy groups put the estimate much higher, at around 15,000.

LGBT advocates who have sought to head off such a move in the courts swiftly slammed the decision, calling it “appalling, reckless and unpatriotic.”

Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat from California and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that "the ban, which implements the same policy that was blocked by several courts, runs counter to the American values that our troops are fighting to protect."

Sources: 

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/23/trump-transgender-troops-ban-483434