While a heated debate goes on surrounding transgenders in the military, one service member underwent gender reassignment surgery. The Obama administration struck down the longstanding ban on transgender people serving in the military but when President Trump took office he was adamant that the federal government "will not accept or allow" transgender troops to serve "in any capacity".
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890193981585444864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890196164313833472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890197095151546369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The President made good on his promise and ordered the Pentagon to extend the ban on transgender troops and gave the department six months to determine what to do with transgender service members who are currently serving. President Trump also directed Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to halt the flow of federal funds paying for sexual reassignment surgeries and medications, unless doing so would be detrimental to the patient's health in cases where they had already started the transition.While the Pentagon is still grappling with just how to implement the President's ban, Mattis signed a memo in September making it clear transgender individuals can still enlist and last month a federal judge barred the Trump administration from proceeding with the ban.
Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White said, "Military hospitals do not have the surgical expertise to perform this type of surgery, therefore it was conducted in a private hospital." White went on to say that because this service member "had already begun a sex-reassignment course of treatment, and the treating doctor deemed this surgery medically necessary, a waiver was approved by the director of the Defense Health Agency."
<i>On Twitter:</i>
<a href="https://twitter.com/ErvinProduction">@ErvinProduction</a>
Tips? Info? Send me a message!
Insane that the a judge can over rule a president.