Donald Trump’s Transgender Ban
Content Note: Transphobia, Military
Shock. Donald Trump has made yet another bigoted, ignorant and utterly abhorrent statement, this time focusing on transgender people. Not only is this a deliberate attack on members of our community, this ban has absolutely zero rational basis.
In a study by UCLA done in 2014, there were 134,300 transgender people who were veterans or retired from the armed services.
In another study by the Department of Defence published in 2016, there was up to 6,600 transgender people actively serving with up to 4,100 serving in the reserves.
So hey, let’s dissect the tweets shall we…
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts”
According to reports from CNN, three US defence officials explained they were not aware that Trump had planned to tweet a ban on transgender service members.
After a load of nonsensical drivel Trump proceeds with:
“Cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail”
So hang on. In a war that has cost the US over $1.1 trillion, you have the audacity to call transgender medical costs a “disruption”. Nah mate. Not on. In fact, the American Medical Association put out a statement stating “there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from military service”.
Chelsea Manning, a former US Army soldier and transgender woman explains: “the commander in chief of the armed forces is propagating lies about us, dehumanizing us and taking away our health care and employment. […]This is about bias and prejudice. This is about systemic discrimination.”
How dare you not allow these individuals to be enlisted simply because they are transgender when they are willing to lay down their lives for your country?
These people deserve your respect. NOT your dismissal.
So why am I writing a blog post on this?
First of all, as a member of the LGBT+ community, I feel that this is a personal attack on many of my friends for no reason, that has simply been done to encourage discourse.
And secondly, as your Activities Officer, it is my job to point out that this view goes directly against not one but two Sheffield Students’ Union Policies.
Policy
Anti-Racism/discrimination /hate crime
Students’ Union Resolves:
‘To adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to racism, discrimination and hate crime.’
Trans* Policy
Students’ Union Resolves:
‘To adopt a zero tolerance approach to harassment, bullying, victimisation or discrimination against trans* people.’
Trump’s comments regarding transgender people cannot and must not be ignored. They are ignorant, outdated and draconian, and have no place in our society. This is just another attempt to dehumanize a group of people for simply living how they want to. This is not okay.
But hey, Donald, if you want to exclude transgender people from the military then Staff Sgt. Logan Ireland says he’d like to see you try…
I know who my money’s on.
Support your friends. Support human rights. Support transgender rights.
For more information on Sheffield Students’ Union policies, please go to:
https://su.sheffield.ac.uk/make-a-change/how-your-students-union-works/students-union-policy

