White House admits Trump hasn’t ‘worked out’ details of transgender ban
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, July 26, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
The White House has admitted that Trump announced the ban on transgender people in the military before setting out any details of the policy.
The President sparked anger yesterday by announcing a ban on transgender people serving in the US military.
In a string of Twitter posts, the President claimed that the military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender would entail”.
The comments have caused considerable distress to the thousands of trans people already serving in the US armed forces, while the American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to challenge any enforcement of the policy.
Despite the President’s announcement, the Pentagon says it is yet to enforce the policy, as no detailed proposal has been put forward, and no formal order issued by Secretary of Defense James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis.
During the White House press briefing yesterday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders admitted that no plan has been developed.
Pushed on the announcement, she said: “The White House will work with the Department of Defense and all of the relevant parties to make sure that we fully implement this policy moving forward and do so in a lawful manner.”
Asked what the announcement actually was, Sanders said: “I think he was making the announcement of the policy change.”
Asked if the policy has actually been formulated, she admitted: “Well, like I said, they are going to have to work out the details on how that all moves forward to lawfully implement that policy change from this point.”
The suggestion that the President announced a half-baked policy without working out any detail has angered military families and veterans, as well as LGBT activists.
DNC Chair Tom Perez said: “The modern movement for LGBTQ equality in the United States, which started at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, faced overwhelming hate and ignorance from much of the public and our government.
“But thanks to the activists and allies who marched against oppression, our country has changed enormously, especially in the last decade. Today, Americans can marry whom they love and more members of the LGBTQ community have the freedom to live their lives openly.
“Now, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and their cabinet are working overtime to shove LGBTQ people back in the closet.
“They’ve retracted the Department of Education’s guidance to help schools protect the civil rights of transgender students, they’ve argued in court that a landmark civil rights law doesn’t protect gay people from discrimination in the workplace, and now Trump is trying to ban transgender Americans from serving our military without the consultation of the most senior Department of Defense officials.”
