WASHINGTON — This weekend, reports emerged that Donald Trump has begun planning for an Executive Order that would reinstate and expand upon his first administration’s ban on transgender military service members. And while nothing is certain and no concrete policy has been put forward, the potential for this executive action is stoking devastating uncertainty for transgender people across the country.

As the United States military continues to fall short of its recruitment targets, the discriminatory ban, as reported, could terminate the employment of an estimated 15,000 people, deeming them “unfit to serve”–despite the fact that they meet every qualification. The United States military is the largest employer of transgender people in the country. Recent studies show that transgender people are twice as likely as the general population to serve in the military.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson issued the following statement:

“Banning thousands of qualified transgender service members– who meet every qualification to serve and have been serving without incident positively contributing to the nation’s defense for nearly a decade– would make our country less safe, and is nothing more than transphobia masquerading as policy. The United States military, tasked with defending our country and protecting all Americans, should be built on readiness and qualifications, not bias, hate and discrimination. Transgender service members are patriots who have proven their commitment, skill and dedication to protecting this country. But Donald Trump is making clear that his administration will go all in on hatred and division at the expense of our military’s readiness, our standing as a leader on the world stage, and the dignity of those who have made the courageous decision to serve their country. Our military must be able to recruit the best candidates, retain the highly-trained service members who have already sacrificed so much for their country, and every qualified patriot should be able to serve openly, free of discrimination. Transgender people exist and belong and in every part of our society, and we stand with these service members and will take swift action to push back against this dangerous and discriminatory ban. Any person who meets the qualifications should be able to serve.”

As reported in The Times of London, this proposed ban would be disastrous for military readiness and the country’s safety:

“These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people,” a source familiar with Trump’s plans said. “Only the Marine Corps is hitting its numbers for recruitment and some people who will be affected are in very senior positions.”

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“Should a trans ban be implemented from day one of the Trump administration it would undermine the readiness of the military and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signalling vulnerability to America’s adversaries,” said Rachel Branaman, executive director of Modern Military Association of America, which campaigns on behalf of LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans.

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Trans people already serving in the military say that as well as causing them significant personal hardship, a new ban would be disastrous for the armed forces.

“There are very few members of my career field with this experience, and in the event of a large-scale contingency, it would be difficult to replace the level of experience that I bring to the table,” said a serving US Air Force non-commissioned officer, who preferred not to give their name.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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