By Abiola Olawale
Transgender individuals currently serving in the United States military are facing uncertainty about their future.
This is as reports emerged on Monday indicating that President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly finalizing plans to sign an executive order that would remove transgender personnel from the US military.
According to the reports, the transgender personnel are expected to be discharged on medical grounds, deeming them “unfit” to serve, after Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the US.
It would be recalled that during Trump’s first term as president, he introduced a similar policy that prohibited transgender individuals from joining the armed forces while allowing those already enlisted to remain in their roles.
However, the policy has been overturned by President Joe Biden after Trump left office.
Biden, in his first week as president in 2021, issued an executive order to restore transgender individuals’ right to serve openly.
With Trump’s imminent return to the White House, transgender rights in the US may face renewed challenges.
It was learnt that the development has intensified concerns within the LGBTQ+ community.
The reported policy is said to be broader and more contentious than the policy Trump implemented during his first term.
The New Diplomat reports that there are about 15,000 transgender individuals are actively serving in the US military.
