Organizations Respond to the Transgender Service Ban

Last Updated on July 26, 2017.

 
Tweets

  • ACLU National: Thousands of trans service-members on the front lines deserve better from their commander-in-chief, @realDonaldTrump. Contact the ACLU.
  • Progressive Congress: The President has just announced a ban on #transgender people serving in the military, via Twitter. Statement forthcoming.
  • Human Rights Campaign: Threatening 15K currently serving troops who put their lives at risk is unpatriotic and dangerous.
  • Indivisible Guide: Trump’s ban is cruel and un-American. We stand by our brave trans servicemembers
  • Women’s March: To the 15k transgender people currently serving this country: we see you. Share your stories of how you serve your country. #TransAndServing
  • Jonathan Swan (reporter): Just spoke to a Trump administration official about the transgender military decision. Here’s what they said… “This forces democrats in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to take complete ownership of this issue. How will the blue collar votes in these states respond when senators up for re-election in 2018 like Debbie Stabenow are forced to make their opposition to this a key plank of their campaigns.”
  • Amnesty International: Dear Commander-in-Chief @realDonaldTrump, Transgender Americans deserve equal access to serve their country. Sincerely, USA
  • Planned Parenthood: To undermine the humanity of trans people is vicious & divisive. @realdonaldtrump‘s move is purely political & puts lives at risk.
    • Other Tweet: Whether transgender people are serving their country or caring for themselves, every trans person deserves gender-affirming health care.
  • GreenPeace USA: Dear trans friends and allies, we see you. We see your contributions to society. And we love you. #LoveTrumpsHate
  • National Women’s Law Center: [THREAD] Bottom line: We promise to keep fighting against the transphobic bigotry of this administration.
  • Erin Simpson (CEO of Archer Avenue Consulting): [THREAD] Third, the best research on the subject reveals that the costs and impact on readiness will be minimal. http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1530.html
  • Jake Tapper (CNN Anchor): [THREAD]

Statements

  • ACLU: “This is an outrageous and desperate action. The thousands of transgender service members serving on the front lines for this country deserve better than a commander-in-chief who rejects their basic humanity…There is no basis for turning trans people away from our military and the ACLU is examining all of our options on how to fight this. For any trans service member affected by today’s announcement: Please get in touch with us, because we want to hear from you.”
  • National Center for Transgender Equality: This is worse than don’t ask don’t tell, this is don’t serve, don’t serve. This is an appalling attack on our service members; it is about bigotry rather than military readiness, reason or science. It is indefensible and cannot stand. The President wants to discard thousands of trained and skilled troops who are already serving honorably and done nothing but be honest about who they are. To turn away qualified recruits simply because of who they are is a shameful way to show our country’s gratitude to the people who serve our country.”
  • Human Rights Campaign: This heinous and disgusting action endangers the lives of American service members, undermines military readiness and makes our country less safe. It is also the latest effort by Trump and Mike Pence to undo our progress and drag LGBTQ people back into the closet by using our lives as political pawns.
  • GLAAD: “President Trump today issued a direct attack on transgender Americans, and his administration will stop at nothing to implement its anti-LGBTQ ideology within our government – even if it means denying some of our bravest Americans the right to serve and protect our nation..”
  • Amnesty International: Today’s announcement violates the human rights of all transgender Americans. It lays bare the president’s prejudice and underlines the fact that creating policy based on bigotry is becoming a dangerous and cruel pattern for President Trump…
  • Palm Center: The President is creating a worse version of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ As we know from the sad history of that discredited policy, discrimination harms military readiness. This is a shocking and ignorant attack on our military and on transgender troops who have been serving honorably and effectively for the past year.
  • Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: “This is backward, harmful and contrary to American values. It’s also bad for national security. Thousands of transgender troops are serving in our military right now…In an era when so few people step up to serve, no American who is willing and able to wear the uniform should be turned away. Equality is a force-multiplier for our military.”
  • Southern Poverty Law Center: “…This policy only serves to throw fuel on the fire of hatred and fear, making an already-vulnerable population even more vulnerable. The Southern Poverty Law Center stands with all transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans, whether civilian or military. Neither Trump nor his childish tweets can stop our march toward dignity and equality.”
  • Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect: “This more by President Trump is unconscionable evil. Rarely if ever in our nation’s history has a President made a move like this that so drastically reverses the civil rights gains of an oppressed community. President Trump himself falls short of the bravery of our sisters and brothers who are transgender. Banning them from the US military will not only hurt our national security, but will also accelerate the rest of the world’s decreasing esteem for America on this President’s watch.”
  • Garden State Equality: There are transgender troops serving all throughout our military. Instituting a ban only weakens our forces and sends a message to our troops (that) their service is not valued. Donald Trump must be stopped.
  • American Humanist Association: President Trump is dragging America backward with his attacks on transgender patriots in the military…
  • National Women’s Law Center: “…His arguments for keeping transgender individuals out of the military resemble the same baseless, discriminatory excuses that were once used to keep women from serving…Those honorably serving their country deserve better than tweets about unconstitutional plans to discriminate against transgender individuals.”
  • The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: “…After rolling back protections for transgender youth, the president has now attacked the brave and patriotic transgender Americans who are voluntarily serving in the military to protect our country and our freedoms…”
  • Log Cabin Republicans: “… The president’s statement this morning does a disservice to transgender military personnel and reintroduces the same hurtful stereotypes conjured when openly gay men and women were barred from service during the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ era….”
July 26, 2017