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Welcome to logoff. Today, I focus on the Trump administration's plan to drive trans service members out of the US military. This is part of the broader administration's efforts to erase trans-Americans from public life.
What's the latest? The new Pentagon memo invites heads of each military department to identify trans people within 30 days and begin an honorable discharge process within another 30 days.
Who is covered by this ban? This rule applies to people with a sense of psychological and mental distress regarding gender identity, gender violations. The memo says members of transgender services can apply for exemptions in very narrow circumstances.
The Washington Post reports that trans rights advocates estimate that there will be up to 15,000 trans members serving the military.
What is the rationale mentioned? The memo is a derivative of President Donald Trump's January Order banning trans people from joining the military. The order said, “Expressing false “gender identity” from an individual's gender cannot meet the strict standards required for military service.”
Can Trump do this? The supporters' lawsuit aimed at overturning the ban will be in front of a federal judge and will likely raise the judicial ladder. When Trump banned transgender individuals from joining the military during his first term, the Supreme Court allowed the ban to come into force while the case was underway. When Joe Biden took office and overturned the ban, the lawsuit was still pending.
What is the overall picture? The Trump administration has taken several steps to override trans identity, claiming that people should be bound by the biological sex assigned at birth. In this case, it means taking people who agreed to serve their country, then disqualifying them based on their identity.
And so, it's time to log off…
This newsletter ends as it is because there is something good in this world, and it's very good to do what you can still do in this world. My colleague, Brian Walsh, has begun a newsletter dedicated to that proposition. If you want a Saturday email documenting “positive developments that often get lost in news cycle noise,” you can sign up here. I'm really excited about this and hope you enjoy it too. Please come back here tomorrow.
