President Trump's announcement Β via Twitter Β Wednesday morning that he planned to ban trans people from military service is already sending waves of anger through the LGBT community and has hopefully, finally, made Caitlyn Jenner regret voting for him. (As of last week on Jimmy Kimmel she was still saying she "didn't agree" with him on some issues but she "liked some of the things he's done.")
According to a study by the RAND corporation, approximately 2,450 active-duty service members are transgender, out of a total of 1.3 million. Under Trump's own Defense Secretary Jim Mattis appears to have been caught off guard by the President's policy decision, as the New York Times reports.
Social media reaction has been swift, and is growing.
Jenner's onetime advisor in trans issues, Jennifer Finney Boylan, was quick to ask for Jenner's thoughts on Twitter, which have not yet arrived.
.@Caitlyn_Jenner Well? https://t.co/pK89nM7BYj
β Jenny B. (@JennyBoylan) July 26, 2017
Chelsea Manning has already chimed in, as the San Francisco Chronicle notes, with a series of tweets both sarcastic and combative with those lashing out against her.
so, biggest baddest most $$ military on earth cries about a few trans people π© but funds the F-35? πΒ sounds like cowardice πππ #WeGotThis
β Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) July 26, 2017
what mission is that? π€ wasting money on dysfunctional equipment and greedy contractors? π€ we (you) will pay for #healthcare πππ #WeGotThis https://t.co/hYoxLh1lc6
β Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) July 26, 2017
so not only do you want to ban trans people, now you want to throw us in prison ?? sounds familiar π€ https://t.co/11s6C7VUS8
β Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) July 26, 2017
militaries, esp. U.S., have always been a social experiment just as much as a fighting force π its how it got so bloated π€ #WeGotThis πππ https://t.co/HtNa54AeSP
β Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) July 26, 2017
2018 California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom of course had a few words.
Today's decision by @POTUS is the height of cruelty & ignorance. He has weakened our country, and we are all less safe for his cowardice.
β Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 26, 2017
... as did House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
69 years ago, President Truman desegregated the US Military. This morning, @POTUS turned anti-#trans prejudice into policy.
β Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 26, 2017
And the legal community, including the ACLU and Lambda Legal, are going to be putting up an immediate fight.
Trans people are not a disruption.
β Lambda Legal (@LambdaLegal) July 26, 2017
Trans people are not a disruption.
Trans people are not a disruption.
Trans people are not a disruption.
For any trans service member affected by todayβs announcement: Please get in touch with us, because we want to hear from you.
β ACLU National (@ACLU) July 26, 2017
TLC's statement on Donald Trump's offensive, inaccurate tweets this morning: https://t.co/vHRlITviPY
β TransgenderLawCenter (@TransLawCenter) July 26, 2017
Sidebar: Twitter is latching on to the fact that the military spends far more on erectile dysfunction medication than it does on medical care for trans service people, which was one of the reasons cited by the president for the ban.
Annual military spending on
β Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) July 26, 2017
Viagra: $41.6 million
Cialis: $22.8 million
Trans medical care: $8.4 millionhttps://t.co/XDjNHUn5m0
Related: Trump Administration Will Bar Transgender Individuals From Serving In The Military