The Murkiness of Trump's New Transgender Military Ban
In a directive Friday, the president ordered that people with gender dysphoria will be prevented from serving in most cases. Implementation, however, is uncertain.
Capping a busy day of news, the White House Friday night issued a new directive to ban most transgender people from serving in the military.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the new document supersedes President Trump’s announcement in July that he’d prevent transgender people from serving. That statement took the Pentagon and top generals by surprise, and. Many commanders said they were waiting to take action until they understood the order. Trump offered some leeway when he issued the command in August, asking Secretary of Defense James Mattis to present an implementation plan by February 21, 2018.
