Rescinded Executive Order 14004: Enabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in Uniform
Today let's look at the 2nd Executive Order that Trump rescinded: Enabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in Uniform (14004), signed by Biden January 25th, 2021.
While this Executive Order has been removed from whitehouse.gov, it can still be found and read many places online, including govinfo.gov and the FederalRegister.gov. To access, download, or print, visit:
This Executive Order revoked Presidential Memorandums from 2017 and 2018 previously signed by Trump, which had disgarded the findings of the Secretary of Defense's 2016 study (under the Obama administration) on transgender people serving in the military, as well as the Surgeon General who stated “transgender troops are as medically fit as their non-transgender peers and that there is no medically valid reason—including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria—to exclude them from military service or to limit their access to medically necessary care.”
It's a bit ridiculous how much of a presidential yo-yo this particular topic has been: not allowed (pre-Obama), allowed (Obama), not allowed (Trump), allowed (Biden), and now yet again not allowed (Trump again). Ultimately, the most recent Executive Order has nothing to do with unit cohesion, military readiness, or even costs; this most recent revocation makes clear the previous revocation was nothing more than what it is today: blatant transphobia.
Those who serve in the military are often regarded as great patriotic heroes. The far right doesn't want transgender people seen as heroes-- only villains. Removing the ability to serve is ERASURE of trans folks' stories of American heroism.
It's upsetting to know how many lives of active trans miliary this is going to impact. They were giving their all for their country, and this is how they're repaid.
In case you weren't aware, this course of action by the Trump administration follows the guidelines set out by Project 2025. On page 103, it is recommended that to "Restore standards of lethality and excellence ... those with gender dysphoria should be expelled from military service." (As well as those who are HIV+.) Read here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24088042-project-2025s-mandate-for-leadership-the-conservative-promise/#document/p135
Personally, I've never been in interested in serving in the military. In 2015, I got my sex marker changed to M by court order. With fascinating quickness, I had army recruiters and more reaching out to me. This had never happened while my government documents had an F on them. I was past the age for the draft (18 to 25), so I did not have to register for Selective Service (which, btw, IS still discriminatory-- only men must do this). Each time I responded that I was transgender, and they "about-faced" and ceased contact promptly. It was, after all, before the SoD's 2016 study. But what if I hadn't so readily disclosed my gender identity?
One thing is for sure, Christine Jorgensen, 1950's darling and blonde bombshell of the U.S. Army during WWII, would be appalled. (P.S. If you don't know much about her life and incredible impact as a trans advocate, or you just want a pick-me-up to instill some hope, you should read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Jorgensen )