(10 Apr 2019) Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday joined in a rally in Washington to show their support for transgender service members and to protest against the ban of transgenders from serving in the military.
The Trump administration has instructed the Armed Services to begin discharging transgender service members beginning this Friday, April 12.
"Transgender service members have made the sacrifice that few in this country are willing to make," said Maryland Democrat Rep. Anthony Brown.
"Your bravery in the military is only eclipsed by your bravery taking this fight head on while still wearing the uniform and sits in stark contrast with the man in the White House and his bigoted ban. I promise we will not allow transgender troops to fight alone. Americans and members of Congress will continue to fight with you until we permanently secured your right to fight."
With the ban going forward, any of the thousands of current transgender service members who come out, or is found out, after April 12 and is not willing to renounce and suppress their identity will be subject to discharge.
"They send a dangerous message to all of us," said Harper Jean Tobin, National Center for Transgender Equality Director of Policy.
"All two million of us in this country are transgender, are lesser than our fellow Americans. Not because of whether we can do any particular job including in uniform but because of who we are. It's a dangerous and false message to transgender children and youth around the country and to their peers. That is not who we are as a country."
It was only three years ago that the Pentagon and under the direction of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, officially allowed transgender people into the military in 2016.
"The president continues to exploit fear and bigotry across the country and the transgender military ban is just another example of his hateful policies," said California Democrat Rep. Gil Cisneros.
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