VoteVets respond to Dumpf's transgender ban
(From email)
Sixty-nine years ago today, President Harry Truman issued an executive order desegregating the military, declaring "equal treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services." With the same stroke of a pen, he established the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services.
This morning, on the anniversary of that historic step toward equality, our current president, Donald Trump, did the unthinkable: placed a ban on transgender Americans from serving "in any capacity in the U.S. Military."
Here is the truth: right now, there are up to 7,000 openly transgender service members on active duty, with thousands more in the reserves -- all of whom wake up having served with more distinction than Donald Trump could ever dream of. When Trump had the chance to serve, he received multiple deferments because of a "foot thing." He said that avoiding STDs was his own personal Vietnam.
Veterans, military family members, and civilian supporters have an important voice in this fight. Let's make it heard right now.
Sign VoteVets' petition supporting the rights of transgender Americans to serve in the United States military. Today's unpresidential action is outrageous. Our voices are needed in this moment.
This decision by the president puts our national security at risk. There are active units who depend on these decorated service members. But as much as that matters, imagine how it would feel this morning to be a trans service member who volunteered to defender their nation, only to be told that their service wasn't good enough... and to be told that by a man who never had the courage himself to serve.
All my best,
Will Fischer
Iraq War Veteran and Director of Government Relations
VoteVets
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