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Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi: The Trump Administration’s Ban Is A Direct Insult To Transgender Service Members And Veterans

July 26, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC –Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi released the following statement in response to President Trump's announcement that he intended to ban transgender people from openly serving in the military:

"The President's ban on transgender people openly serving in the military harms our national security and military, and is a direct insult to the 15,000 active and reserve transgender service members who risk their lives every day in the service of our country as well as the 134,000 transgender veterans who have served our country with honor and dignity. The military and numerous independent organizations have repeatedly shown that allowing transgender people to serve openly and honestly has no effect on force readiness and that any associated costs would be minimal. Today's decision will have a detrimental effect on troop morale and military effectiveness.

The President needs to make clear which ‘Generals and military experts' he consulted with before deciding to reverse the Pentagon's standing policy, and I continue my call on the President and the Department of Defense to respect all service members."