In the wake of President Trump’s Twitter announcement that he will ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, a coalition of Iowans identifying as transgender have released the following statement:
“Our President’s attempt to exclude patriots who want to serve and protect our country because they are transgender is an act of cowardice. Numerous studies have shown that allowing transgender Americans to serve has absolutely no impact on readiness. This is a grave insult to our active transgender service members and all those aspiring to join our military. It is also an insult to all those currently serving with transgender service members who are executing their jobs with the same excellence they were before President Obama opened the service to those identifying as transgender.
Part of what makes America strong is our ability to live as a community of people with different backgrounds. It may be difficult at times, but we are proud to live in a place where we can have the conversation, where we can work with people to increase understanding. We will keep working to make America a safe place for transgender individuals to live and serve. We hope all those who believe in the fundamentally American promises of acceptance and opportunity will join us.”
Signatories to this statement are as follows: Devin Kelly, who is the chair of the Stonewall Caucus for the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP); Alex Anderson, who is the state Affirmative Action Chair for the IDP; Austin Wadle, a transgender rights activist and student at Grinnell College where they serve as President of Grinnell College Campus Democrats; and U.S. Army Reserves Sargent Jack Schuler, former Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps.