Opposing Ban on Transgender Members of Armed Forces

Floor Speech

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Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution expressing opposition to President Trump's decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the Armed Forces. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, and I thank my friend, Mr. Kennedy, for his extraordinary leadership on this issue.

The President's decision in 2017 to prohibit transgender individuals from military service is disgraceful and wrong. Not only is the decision based on ignorance and bigotry, but the evidence shows there is absolutely no need for this discriminatory policy.

America has the strongest and most effective military in the history of the world, and that is because of the brave individuals who serve in uniform. Excluding an entire group of highly qualified and skilled individuals from service undermines our national security.

In 2016, the Obama administration removed the ban on transgender individuals after thoroughly and carefully studying how it would impact the military and military readiness. A year later, President Trump announced he would resume prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in a tweet and didn't even bother to tell his Secretary of Defense about it.

The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates that over 15,000 trans people are currently serving in the military. In 2016, a study by RAND Corporation found that service by transgender individuals does not adversely affect readiness, and, in fact, many military leaders have acknowledged that the ban will degrade military readiness.

This cruel ban seeks to force transgender members of our military back into the closet or out of service. It is a policy that is not based on any factor or any careful deliberation, but merely an attempt to score points with the hard right faction of his political base. By doing this, the President is hurting our military, making our country less safe, and making our country less just.

Transgender individuals who serve our country in the Armed Forces are American heroes. They deserve our thanks, and they deserve more than to be used as a political prop by their Commander in Chief. We as a country are better than this.

Mr. Speaker, quite simply, it is un-American and immoral to deny transgender individuals who want to serve our country in uniform the right to do so simply because of who they are, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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