Army’s highest ranking enlisted solider has ‘no issues or concerns’ about trans people in the military
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The highest ranking enlisted soldier in the US Army has contradicted an attempted ban on trans soldiers by saying that he has no concerns or issues about serving with trans people.
Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey is the highest ranking non-officer in the US army and is a highly decorated war veteran.
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter last year that all transgender servicepeople would be banned from the US armed forces, claiming they were a burden and would affect cohesion within the military.
Since this announcement, there have been several legal battles to determine exactly what a ban on transgender soldiers would realistically involve and whether it is legal to do so.
This policy has also been widely condemned both inside and outside of the military.
According to CNN, Dailey added his voice to the dissent and told reporters in the Pentagon earlier this week that he did not have any issues with serving alongside transgender soldiers.
Dailey (R) being sworn in as sergeant major in 2015 (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Dailey also stated that he had not personally heard any concerns from within the army.
“We haven’t heard any issues or concerns, and I personally have not had any issues or concerns,” he said.
With this statement the 48-year-old echoed General Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, who earlier this month told Congress that there have been no issues caused by transgender people serving in the military.
This followed a letter from leading medical and psychological experts who condemned a shocking report produced by Trump officials that claimed transgender troops were “unstable” and not suitable for military service.
(Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
When the ban was originally announced, President Trump stated that it was due to the reported cost of gender confirmation surgeries and ongoing hormonal treatments, rather than any anti-trans sentiment.
Many drew comparisons between the cost of trans troops and other Pentagon expenses and found that music for the military and erectile dysfunction medication viagra both cost more than transition-related healthcare.
The decision to announce the ban was reportedly made without consultation with military chiefs or legal experts, and the policy has been repeatedly smacked down in the courts.
US President Donald Trump and VP Mike Pence (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty)
Last month, Trump moved to ban most trans servicepeople by stating that “transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria… are disqualified from military service except under certain limited circumstances.”
Recently the Coast Guard announced that it was “committed” to allowing transgender people to serve unless they are explicitly barred.
Related: Mike Pence ‘secretly drafted’ Trump’s new trans ban with help from anti-LGBT extremists
Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft told lawmakers earlier this month that he would not stop any trans person from serving until he was ordered to do so, Politico has reported.
“We are certainly committed to their continued service in the United States Coast Guard,” he said to a House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee.
(Facebook/Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft)
“We will make sure that there is one policy for all service members.”
At least 17 of the Coast Guard’s 40,000 members on active duty identify as trans, according to the commandant, who said that figure included one of his personal staff.
Zukunft said that he was talking to senior figures from all five of the other branches of the military about how to respond to Trump’s ongoing attempts to institute a trans ban.
It is believed that since January 1, around 15 to 20 trans people have begun the process to join the US military.
