Why Trump’s latest trans military ban is so much worse than in 2016
“It’s 2025, Donald Trump is back in office and this country’s trans people find themselves looking down the barrel of yet another trans military ban. I remember the last time Trump tried to ban us from the armed forces, I stayed up 56 hours straight interviewing as many transgender active duty service members, veterans, activists and lawyers as I could.
“Back then, I and those service members I spoke with, were all full of resolve and were ready for a fight. Trump had been in office for just a few years and was wildly unpopular. It felt like we could still use the court system to combat his most harmful policies.
“This time around, it feels different. Gone are the days when an international protest killed North Carolina’s bathroom bill in 2016. Gone too are the New York Times op-eds protesting Trump’s anti-trans agenda or the — and I can’t believe I’m writing this — JK Rowling tweets defending trans military members under Trump.”
“This time around there is a lot less opposition than in 2018. Everything transgender-related is now considered an honest political debate. We didn’t get to this place in the political discourse by accident.”
“The ban is serious on its own, but coupled with Trump’s other obsessive anti-trans executive orders this week, it’s clear that trans people in the U.S. are facing ominous days. It will take time to implement these policies and clear legal hurdles, but at least we know the stakes of the fight.
“It’s laid out in front of us — trans people just want to live and exist, go to work and serve their country in peace, without the government sticking their grubby little noses in our pants. Republicans want us gone from society completely, and they will continue this pursuit zealously until they feel like they’ve won.”