‘Time For Us To See Action’: A Call To Carry Out Biden’s Order On Trans Troops
Enlarge this image
Army Capt. Jennifer Peace, Army Staff Sgt. Patricia King (center) and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Akira Wyatt attend a hearing on Transgender Service Policy on Capitol Hill in 2019. King and other trans troops have long fought for the right to serve openly prior to Trump’s ban, and she hopes there is more legislation to follow Biden’s repeal to ensure something like that does not happen again.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
President Biden Takes Office
Biden Repeals Trump-Era Ban On Transgender Troops
Trump first ordered the ban on transgender troops in July 2017, via Twitter.
In his tweet he wrote: «After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.» A month later he signed a directive that made the order official. But it was blocked by numerous federal courts until 2019, when the Supreme Court weighed in.
National
Biden Ends Ban On Trans People Serving Openly In The Military
Biden Ends Ban On Trans People Serving Openly In The Military
Listen
·
4:47
4:47
Toggle more options
- Download
-
Transcript
Although Trump was the one who signed the ban, it was up to then-Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to implement it. King says it is now up to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was confirmed into the position last Friday, to work with his staff to carry out Biden’s reversal.
King says she’s concerned with how long that will take. «We’ve already had two studies on this,» she says. «It’s time for us to see action. And that’s my hope – is that we will see action quickly on this.»
The process to implement Biden’s order should take around 60 days, according to a statement from Austin on Monday. After the initial two month period, Biden will ask for a progress report from both the secretary of defense and secretary of homeland security.
National
Supreme Court Revives Trump’s Ban On Transgender Military Personnel, For Now
When Trump first spoke of the ban, he cited financial reasons — despite a Rand Corporation study commissioned by the Department of Defense that showed otherwise.
Biden cited that one from 2016 in his executive order: «the Department of Defense found that enabling transgender individuals to serve openly in the United States military would have only a minimal impact on military readiness and healthcare costs.»
Hear the full conversation with Staff Sgt. King at the audio link above. You can also hear her on Morning Edition in 2019 when the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender military personnel.
Ziad Buchh and Dalia Mortada produced and edited the audio story.
Комментарии 0