Demonstrators have flocked to a military recruiting station in New York City and a plaza named after a San Francisco gay rights icon to protest against Donald Trump’s abrupt ban on transgender people serving in the US military.
Hundreds gathered around the US Armed Forces recruiting station in Times Square, holding signs saying “Resist!” and listened to speakers who condemned the ban, which was announced on Twitter by the president.
Demonstrator Yael Leberman said transgender people “are completely adequate to serve” and combat was “not about physical, it’s about mental” abilities. She said it was unsurprising from Republican Mr Trump to say what he said or to see the backlash from a place as diverse as New York City.
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
It is unclear what the ban will mean for currently-serving transgender soldiers.
Several hundred demonstrators gathered later in San Francisco’s Harvey Milk Plaza. They waved pink and blue flags, held signs reading “Trans lives are not a burden” and chanted “Stand up! Fight back!”
A transgender woman who identified herself only as Layla told the crowd she was tired of being told who she could or could not be and asked for others in the LGBT community to support trans people as they fought for respect.
Doug Thorogood and Nick Rondoletto, a couple from San Francisco, waved a rainbow flag during the rally.
Nick Rondoletto and Doug Thorogood protest in San Francisco (Olga R Rodriguez/AP)
“Haven’t transgender people gone through enough? I’m over it!” Mr Thorogood said, as they marched with the crowd from the Castro neighbourhood to City Hall.
“When (Mr Trump) goes for the people with the least rights, I just can’t sit back and let that happen,” Mr Rondoletto added.
At a smaller gathering at the Los Angeles LGBT Centre in Hollywood, US Army Reserve member and transgender man Rudy Akbarian, 27, said at first he thought the news of the president’s order was a joke.
The five-year military veteran said he was “heartbroken” to learn it was real.
“There are people who are retiring in the military, there are people who’ve done 18, 19 years and are about to retire and now it’s all taken away from them,” he said. “It’s not fair.”
“I know it’s not over,” he said. “I know we’re not going to give up.”
Major advocacy groups depicted Mr Trump’s Twitter pronouncement as an appeal to the portion of his conservative base that opposes the recent civil-rights gains by the LGBT community.
“His administration will stop at nothing to implement its anti-LGBTQ ideology within our government — even if it means denying some of our bravest Americans the right to serve and protect our nation,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the LGBT-rights group Glaad.
Transgender military members have been able to serve openly since last year, after a move by then-defence secretary Ash Carter.
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