I think Trump is just trying to "Change the Subject" from the Russian investigation of Trump and his white house and that's all. So, he is harming thousands of Transgenders in the military as a way of "Changing the subject". Once again Trump has no problem harming others as long as it suits him. He has no loyalty to anyone even Sessions who is his first Senator who supported him in 2016. Trump has no loyalty for others unless they are relatives. He throws "EVERYONE" else under the bus! This is pretty obvious now!
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All morning, people were looking to Kasia Celeste for a reaction. Most of her interactions were positive. …
For Transgender Service Members, Donald Trump’s Ban Is ‘A Shot In The Face’
“I fought for America… Why not fight for me?” retired Navy SEAL Kristin Beck says.
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All morning, people were looking to Kasia Celeste for a reaction.
Most
of her interactions were positive. The active-duty, openly transgender
U.S. Navy sailor said she was surprised and delighted that, despite her
commander in chief’s announcement on Twitter that trans people will no longer be allowed to serve in the military, her officer in charge checked in to make sure she was OK.
But
she also has to worry about the rest of her community, which includes
current and former military personnel that identify as trans.
“They’re looking to me for answers and I don’t have ’em,” she told HuffPost.
Most people don’t. Though President Donald Trump cited “tremendous medical costs and disruption” for
announcing the ban, the administration has yet to reveal who exactly
the ban extends to or how a ban would affect those serving right now.
What
is clear is that all the transgender active duty and former military
personnel HuffPost spoke to on Wednesday are heartbroken, empowered,
confused and, as Celeste put it, “pissed off.”
“It’s
just a shot in the face,” she said. “A lot of us are scared and angry
because we all signed up to do the same job. Who has the right to say
you can’t fight for your country?”
I’m not pretty, I’m not a movie star, I’m a retired Navy SEAL. ... I fought for America. As a president, he should be fighting for and defending every American. I’m an American. Why not fight for me? Kristin Beck, retired Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient
Whatever
form an actual transgender ban may take, it’ll put heroes and patriots
on the rocks. One of those heroes is Kristin Beck, a retired Navy SEAL
whose 20 years of service included more than a dozen deployments, a
Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and time on the esteemed SEAL Team 6.
She’s
also openly trans, and proud of it. Beck told HuffPost that she wants
to meet Trump face to face, because his idea of her community is warped.
“If
he’s basing all of his perception of transgender people on Caitlyn
Jenner ― who is a millionaire and a TV star ― he’s not getting the right
picture,” Beck said. “I work on a farm with chickens and horses. I grew
up poor, on government cheese and powdered milk. I’m not pretty, I’m
not a movie star, I’m a retired Navy SEAL. ... I fought for America. As a
president, he should be fighting for and defending every American. I’m
an American. Why not fight for me?”
Last year, the Pentagon lifted its ban against transgender people serving
in the U.S. armed forces. Beck said if Trump really believes that
supporting the trans community is costly and disruptive, he’s in for a
surprise when he tries to discharge thousands of military personnel.
Jim Urquhart/Reuters
“Even
if you’re talking expenses alone, this is an irresponsible move,” she
said. “You just got rid of so many contracts with people who are serving
honorably. Now think of the money spent with legal suits, paperwork,
bureaucracy and time. You’re going to spend [millions of dollars] per
person.”
Several service members appeared to find hope in the fact that Trump has historically been unable to make good on many of his policies or promises.
“They’re
three tweets by the current president ― that’s all they are,” said 2nd
Lt. Gabriella Madsen, an openly trans woman who has served 11 years in
the Army. “Three tweets are not accompanied by policy. He does that kind
of thing all the time. ... In the community, many of those on the
still-active-duty side are telling people to calm down. It was only
three tweets.”
That
sentiment was echoed by retired Air Force fighter pilot Shari Zabel,
who said she was baffled by Trump’s readiness to backpedal on progress.
“The
leader of the free world is spouting the same words that were used for
racism and slavery. ... It’s basically bald-faced discrimination,” she
said. “This would be the first time that I can recall in our
history that a reversal of a nondiscrimination policy has occurred in
the military.”
Courtesy of Patricia King
Many
of those HuffPost spoke to said they were once not allowed to be open
about their true selves in the military. After the military opened
itself up to trans service members last year, everything changed. For
people like Patricia King, who’s openly trans and serving as Army
infantry, it’s unclear whether the trans community will have to go back
to darker days.
“We’re
still trying to figure it out, there was a lot of ambiguity,” she said.
“I will continue to show up to work and serve my country until I’m told
that I can’t anymore. ... The
freedoms that I fight for are the same freedoms that I enjoy ― the
freedom to be myself, to live my life and be in a country where that’s
allowed. I can’t imagine a place where I could have a more profound
impact on those freedoms.”
Hayley Miller contributed reporting.
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