Republican LGBT activists: Trump move ‘smacks of politics’
A Republican LGBT activist group slammed President Trump’s decision on Wednesday to ban transgender people from serving in the United States military, saying it “smacks of politics.”
“The United States military already includes transgender individuals who protect our freedom day in and day out,” Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory Angelo said in a statement.
“As an organization that led the charge against that hateful policy, Log Cabin Republicans remains equally committed to standing up for transgender military personnel who put their lives on the line to keep us free.”
{mosads}Log Cabin Republicans, which describes itself as the “nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies,” said the president’s decision will weaken the military by further alienating those who identify with the LGBT community.
“Excommunicating transgender soldiers only weakens our readiness; it doesn’t strengthen it,” Angelo said.
“The president’s statement this morning does a disservice to transgender military personnel and reintroduces the same hurtful stereotypes conjured when openly gay men and women were barred from service during the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ era.”
The powerful Republican LGBT group American Unity Fund (AUF) also condemned the move and urged the president to “to reconsider his comments, and stand with all of our soldiers, including those who are transgender.”
AUF Senior Advisor Tyler Deaton said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that Trump has adopted policies that break with his earlier promises to protect the LGBT community, adding that his administration is “developing an undeniable pattern of anti-gay and anti-transgender policy while in office.”
Trump tweeted earlier in the day that he would “not accept or allow” transgender people “to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” a decision the president said he arrived at after consulting with “my Generals and military experts.”
The announcement signals a move away from an Obama-era decision last year to allow transgender individuals serve openly in the military.
Trump’s tweet also marks a reversal from his pledge shortly after he took office to “protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community.”
“President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election,” a White House statement read in late January.
Updated 12:53 p.m.
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