Transgender advocates to challenge Trump executive order on military service
Trump again turns focus to transgender military service after attempting a ban in his 1st presidency
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders on Monday to remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from the military, reinstate thousands of troops who were kicked out for refusing COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic and take aim at transgender troops.
One of the executive orders signed by Trump said that expressing a "gender identity" different from an individual's sex at birth did not meet military standards.
While the order banned the use of "invented" pronouns in the military, it did not answer basic questions, including whether transgender soldiers currently serving in the military would be allowed to stay and, if not, how they would be removed.
"President Trump's executive order is an insult to the bravery and service of transgender service members," Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said.
"How can we have a military that protects all Americans if it doesn't recognize and respect all Americans?"
In response, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLAD Law are filing a challenge to the executive order on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, said Shannon Minter, legal director for the NCLR.
"The law is very clear that the government can't base policies on disapproval of particular groups of people. That's animus. And animus-based laws are presumed to be invalid and unconstitutional," Minter said.
Trump's 2nd attempt
In 2017, Trump announced on Twitter, now known as X, that he would ban transgender troops from serving in the military. Lawsuits challenging the policy were filed in response by a number of civil liberties and gay and transgender rights groups.
According to a book written by Guy Snodgress, an aide to then-defence secretary James Mattis, the Pentagon had no forewarning of the announcement.
Mattis then ordered a months-long review and ultimately recommended not banning those already serving. In April 2019, the administration's new policy took effect — individuals with gender dysphoria taking hormones, or those who transitioned to another gender, were not allowed to enlist. Existing service members not previously diagnosed with gender dysphoria by that date were to serve in their birth gender and be barred from taking hormones or getting transition surgery.
After his election as president, Joe Biden overturned the decision when he took office in 2021.
About 1.3 million active personnel serve in the military, U.S. Department of Defence data shows. While transgender rights advocates say there are as many as 15,000 transgender service members, officials say the number is in the low thousands.
When Trump announced his first ban in 2017, he said the military needed to focus on "decisive and overwhelming victory" without being burdened by the "tremendous medical costs and disruption" of having transgender personnel.
1st full day on job for Hegseth
The Trump moves came as Pete Hegseth reported for his first day as defence secretary. Hegseth — confirmed by a single tiebreaking vote cast by Vice-President J.D. Vance — has promised to bring major changes to the Pentagon, with a stated priority of eliminating DEI from the military.
Hegseth was warmly greeted on the steps of the Pentagon by the top U.S. military officer, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, whom Hegseth criticized in his recent book. Asked if he might fire Brown, who is Black, Hegseth joked that he was standing right next to him.
"I'm standing with him right now. I look forward to working with him," he said, as he patted Brown on the back.
Reuters has previously reported about the possibility of mass firing among top brass, something Hegseth repeatedly refused to rule out during his confirmation process.
While speaking to reporters, Hegseth referred to Fort Moore and Fort Liberty by their previous names, Fort Benning and Fort Bragg. The names were changed under Biden as part of an effort to rechristen bases named for Confederate officers.
"I'm thinking about the guys and gals in Guam, Germany, Fort Benning and Fort Bragg," Hegseth said.
Much of Hegseth's focus at the Pentagon could be internal to the military, including making good on a Trump executive order on bringing back troops discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccines.
Thousands of service members were removed from the military after the Pentagon made the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory in 2021.
Trump wants 'American Iron Dome'
Trump also signed an executive order that "mandated a process to develop an 'American Iron Dome.'"
The short-range Iron Dome air defence system was built by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with U.S. backing, and was built to intercept rockets fired by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza toward Israel.
Each truck-towed unit fires radar-guided missiles to blow up short-range threats such as rockets, mortars and drones in midair.
The system determines whether a rocket is on course to hit a populated area. If not, the rocket is ignored and allowed to land harmlessly. Any such effort would take years to implement in the U.S.
With files from The Associated Press