Democrat with trans brother attempts to block Trump’s transgender military ban

A Democrat, Sara Jacobs, is introducing a bill which aims to block Donald Trump from banning transgender people from serving in the United States military.

Congresswoman Jacobs is the proud sister to a trans brother and a gender non-conforming sibling and a member of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, according to her official government biography.

The move comes just days ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration on 20 January. The business mogul previously vowed to restore the anti-trans legislation – which was overturned by Joe Biden in 2021 – while out on the campaign trail in 2023 and following his election victory pledged to reintroduce his anti-trans ban as an executive order “on day one.”

“With the stroke of my pen on day one we’re going to stop the transgender lunacy,” Trump said.

“I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools. And we will keep men out of women’s sports.”

A transgender military ban is estimated to impact as many as 15,000 service people and cost the Department of Defense over $18 billion.

“Republicans are currently focusing on culture wars”

In response, California Democrat Sara Jacobs, whose district contains several military bases, is introducing a bill to counter the ban. Although, it is not expected to fare very well in the Republican-controlled House.

“The key is that Republicans are currently focusing on culture wars instead of actually focusing on our national security,” Jacobs told the Huffington Post.

“Because to me it makes no sense in a recruitment- and retention-challenging environment to be letting almost 15,000 service members go. We’ve invested a lot of time and money in training.”

“A trans military ban isn’t going to lower our grocery costs,” she added.

The bill, H.R.515, was introduced in the house on Thursday (16 January).

If Donald Trump reinstates a trans military ban, it wouldn’t only be hateful and discriminatory – it could be costly to the tune of $18 billion. That’s why @RepEricSorensen and I introduced legislation to prevent another trans military ban.https://t.co/4TGPBUVSWR

— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) January 16, 2025

Jacobs said she is “doubtful” she will gain much support from GOP members: “I know some of my Republican colleagues do really understand the sort of recruitment, retention and readiness challenges that we’re facing. So I’m hopeful, but I think they’re all kind of falling in line at the moment.”

When Trump’s ban from his first term was lifted, trans veteran Sarah Klimm – who served in the US Marine Corps for 23 years – said banning trans people from service is “ridiculous” and made her question: “I served 23 years, for this? This is what I fought for?”

She said: “I could have died for this country, and I was willing to do it. But now, I look at our country, and it’s like, I would never die for this country.

“It’s sad because it’s going in the wrong direction. The American Dream has been taken away from us. No matter what, as this continues, all my hard work and everything else doesn’t matter. 

“The fact out there [is] that I’m trans, and I’m not deserving of the same rights and freedoms as everybody else.”

“In a time of low recruitment, the focus should be on building up the force, not removing a portion of the population that serves at twice the rate of the general public,” the Modern Military Association of America also told PinkNews.