Trump’s trans military ban will impact thousands of people in the US armed forces

Donald Trump has vowed to reintroduce a ban on transgender and non-binary people serving in the US military “on day one” of his presidency, but how many people could that affect?

President Joe Biden repealed the edict in 2021, but Trump is reportedly set to issue an executive order immediately after his inauguration on 20 January to re-implement the 2019 law.

He initially pledged to bring back the legislation in 2023, during a rally in New Hampshire, arguing for it as a cost-saving measure.

“I will ban the Department of Veterans Affairs from wasting a single cent to fund transgender surgeries or sex-change procedures,” he said.

Transgender staff sergeant Cathrine Schmid has previously described Biden’s reversal of the policy as a significant and hopeful moment.

“Over the past three years, we’ve fought to prove that transgender people are not a burden, a hindrance, or a distraction,” she told PinkNews. “We are an equal and contributing part of this society just as much as any other group, and this development vindicates that basic principle.”

How many trans and non-binary people are in the US military?

Sources estimate that roughly 15,000 trans people are serving in the US armed forces at the moment.

The reintroduction of the policy would mean they would all suddenly be declared medically “unfit” for their roles. However, Trump’s pledge has sparked concern.

A source familiar with the plan told The Times that the decision would be a poor one “at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people”.

Furthermore, the volume of discharges would “undermine the readiness of the military” and “create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis” according to Rachel Branaman, the executive director of the Modern Military Association of America.

“Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 last year, adds administrative burdens to war-fighting units, harms unit cohesion and aggravates critical skill gaps,” she told The Independent. “There would be a significant financial cost, as well as a loss of experience and leadership that will take possibly 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.”

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