On October 30, the federal court blocked President Trump’s ban on transgender troops enlisting and serving in the military. This prevented the Pentagon from altering former President Obama’s initial policy.

When the block is lifted, the ban President Trump reinstalled will be put into action.

It prohibits transgender people from enlisting in the military and allows security of defense to force out transgender troops who are currently serving.

When Trump originally announced the ban in July of this year, he said that one of the reasons for enacting the ban was because, “The military couldn’t afford the ‘tremendous medical costs and disruption’ of allowing transgender people to serve.”

The “Upfront” article “Should the Military Ban Transgender Soldiers?” by Scholastic, estimated that out of 1.3 million military personnel,

2,000 to 11,000 active-duty service members identify as transgender, according to a 2016 study done for the Pentagon by the RAND Corporation, an American nonprofit global policy think tank.

This ban is hitting home here at Hall High School more than you think.

Co-president of Hall’s Gender Sexuality Alliance Club, Devon Shafer, said, “I definitely think it’s a problem just because the military is the largest employer of transgender people in the United States, so there’s something like fourteen thousand out trans members of the military, trans troops in the military, when Trump enacted the ban. So by enacting the ban, he took away their source of income, their source of education or medical necessities, not even trans related medical necessities, just like the military provides diabetes medication, I don’t know, just medication, medical needs they have, could be taken away.”

Even though they don’t want to enter the military, it still affects non-binary/trans people at Hall, and people all over America who desire to enlist.

When serving in the military, a soldier will receive pension, health care, cash bonuses, educational benefits and many other amenities which are listed on military’s official website.  

Non-binary member of the LGBTQA+ community, Charlie T, said that, “[The ban] takes away another potential opportunity away from me, it closes doors because the military closes a lot of doors to a lot of other things, like a pension. And if I couldn’t find a job, I wouldn’t have that to fall back on.”

In the future, when some transgender members’ life plans aren’t successful, they won’t be able to fall back on a “Plan B”. The military serves as a plan for many citizens who believe that they hold no value at standard desk jobs. They desire to be part of a larger family, with a proud history and ability to serve their country with pride.

Non-binary senior, Addie Huth, said “Before [Trump] starts talking about the supposed financial burden of having transgender people in the military, in terms of medical expenses, he should think about the medical expenses of PTSD and injuries and everything else that happens directly because of being in the military.”

Mental aftereffects and injuries are commonly found in soldiers. They require medication and supplies from the military, such as viagra, among others. There are many items that the military purchases that are expensive, and they aren’t all for the transgender members.

The court systems are still pending on the official decision, but “In the meantime,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, wrote in a letter to the heads of the branches of the military, “we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect.”