Thirteen-year military veteran explains why Donald Trump’s transgender ban is such a disaster
I don’t think there has been a day that goes by where Donald Trump hasn’t violated some form of human rights, whether it’s encouraging punitive actions towards black football players who exercise free speech during the National Anthem, or endangering the lives of Democratic members of Congress as well as members of the press. Every day our country is suffering in some way because of our leaders. Now, it’s members of the transgender community who are being punished for who they are by banning them from the Military.
I served in the United States Army for over thirteen years. One of the first lessons I remember from Basic Combat Training is that in the Army it doesn’t matter if you are man, woman, white, black, etc.; we are all American soldiers. So why can’t this be the same for the transgender community? Only around one percent of people in the United States join the military, and we are at a time we can’t afford to lose more people just because of hate.
Soldiers of any gender identity go through stress with various issues, and we shouldn’t let ignorance be the determining factor for separating trans people, as that does a disservice to them, and harms them in many ways. Since I am not a transgender person myself, I can’t say how this would make one feel, but segregating them like they are a different species is evil, hateful, and again, a human rights violation. Many have performed with exemplary merit during their time in service, and we need to do the right thing by keeping them in the military.
Leaders need to think about the aftermath of banning or kicking out transgender soldiers, because many had it in mind to make the military a twenty year career with no back up plan. In some cases you can literally force human beings to live in the streets just because of hateful ignorance, and this is not right. We need to get involved with Congress and demand a stop to this ban, because it will do more harm than good. Lastly what will it take for this President to be held accountable?
David Weissman is a U.S. military veteran who deeply regrets having voted for Donald Trump, and has since become a passionate voice for the Resistance