Hope for Transgenders Serving Our Country
WASHINGTON D.C.-Earlier in the year, Donald Trump announced that he did not want Transgenders to serve in the military, congress is taking action to defend Transgenders with an introduction of a new bill.
The H.R. 4041 Bill was introduced Friday the 13th by representatives Jackie Speier (D-CA), Charlie Dent (R- PA), Susan Davis (D- CA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Adam Smith (D-WA), and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) concerning the rights of transgenders who serve in the military force.
Studies showed that in 2016, there were approximately 2,000-11,000 transgender people serving in the force. These people may use their Medicaid provided by the military in order to cover the expenses for their transitioning, such as taking their supplements. POTUS has claimed that the U.S. Military “ could not be burdened with the tremendous medical costs” of these service members. According to an analysis made in 2016 by RAND Corp (Research and Development), the studies estimated medical costs to care for transgender members would be $8.4 million. An addition to the argument made to ban transgenders would be the mental health concerns. It is not known how the members would feel after transitioning, or how the supplements would affect their mood. Therefore, transgenders are seen as unfit for the military by Trump’s administration.
The bipartisan bill looks to protect transgenders from being removed by the (DoD) Department of Defense because of their gender identity. The proposal is considered a companion bill to the S.1820, a bill proposed last month by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John McCain(R-AZ), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Susan Collin(R-ME). Transgender soldiers were allowed to serve since June 2016.
According to the press release by Representative Speier, the bill would:
· “ Express a sense of Congress that individuals who are qualified and can meet the standards to serve in the military should be eligible to serve; · Prohibit DoD from involuntarily separating, or denying the reenlistment or continuation in service in the Armed Forces of currently serving transgender service members solely on the basis of the servicemember’s gender identity; and · Require Secretary Mattis to complete his review of accession of transgender individuals into the Armed Forces by the end of this year and report the results to Congress.”
There have been statements made by the sponsor of the bill. Representative Jackie Speier says: “Kicking out members of the United States Armed Services solely based on their gender identity is hateful, discriminatory, and on the wrong side of history. “News flash, Mr. President – thousands of transgender troops already serve our country with pride and dignity. Our military should be focused on recruiting and retaining the best troops, not on rejecting qualified service members on the basis of discrimination.”
Another statement made by Representative Adam Smith expresses, “This bipartisan legislation would prevent that kind of mindless discriminatory purge, and it is an important step toward reversing President Trump’s ban on transgender military service. We will continue to fight so that all individuals who are willing and able can volunteer in defense of their country.”
Today, Transgenders are feeling threatened in all cases. Just recently, Transgenders were not considered to be protected under the 1964 Civil Rights Law. Jeff Sessions announced the new interpretation of the law done by Trump’s administration. Transgenders are no longer considered protected from employment discrimination.
The secretary of defense has until December 31, 2017 to review the policy on the military ban. A final report on the results of the review has to be declared by the Secretary to the Congress no later than February 21, 2018.
