Elizabeth Warren will reverse Trump’s “shameful” trans military ban on first day of her presidency
Warren pledged to undo the ban as part of a wider, pro-LGBTQ plan for military service members, veterans, and families
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has promised to reverse the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members in the military on her first day in office, should she be elected president.
In a Twitter thread announcing her new plan to support America’s “veterans, service members, military families, and survivors,” Warren blasted Donald Trump’s “shameful” decision to ban trans people from military service.
“A Warren administration will protect the rights of LGBTQ+, women, Black, and Latinx service members,” Warren tweeted. “I’ll reverse Trump’s shameful ban on trans service members on Day One. My administration will protect veterans and family members of serving military personnel from deportation.”
Warren’s statement echoes an announcement by Sen. Kamala Harris last month, who outlined an extensive pro-LGBTQ policy plan that included reversing Trump’s “immoral and unconstitutional ban” on “day one” of her presidency.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg has made a similar policy pledge, stating that his administration would “immediately” repeal the ban and give discharged individuals the option to reenlist or recommission.
A Warren administration will protect the rights of LGBTQ+, women, Black, and Latinx service members. I’ll reverse Trump’s shameful ban on trans service members on Day One. My administration will protect veterans and family members of serving military personnel from deportation.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) November 5, 2019
In Warren’s full policy proposal, titled “Keeping Our Promises to Service Members, Veterans, & Military Families,” she details specific plans for LGBTQ service members.
“The diversity of our force is one of its unique strengths — it allows us to incorporate different perspectives and experiences and to look at problems in new ways,” she writes. “The data are clear: inclusive, diverse militaries simply perform better.”
Noting that the “only thing that should matter when it comes to allowing military personnel to serve is whether or not they can handle the job,” Warren states that America’s national security community is “weaker when LGBTQ+ Americans are excluded.”
In addition to reversing the ban on trans service members, Warren argues that the Pentagon should update its policies to allow those with HIV to serve and deploy — a reference to the Trump administration’s decision to start discharging HIV-positive service members.
Warren also said she will “prioritize” efforts to “review and correct the military records of service members discharged solely due to their sexual orientation, both before and during the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell era.”
In addition, Warren’s administration would include LGBTQ veterans in the Veteran Affairs’ Center for Minority Veterans, to ensure they receive targeted care, and also ensure that the VA provides “equitable, gender-affirming, and culturally-competent health care” — including transition-related surgery and gender-affirming procedures.
“As Commander-in-Chief, I will lead our armed forces with awareness of the unique challenges service members, veterans, and military families face,” Warren tweeted. “I’ll honor our troops by not only executing sound military strategy, but also caring for them after they take off the uniform.”
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