White House announces ban on most transgender people from serving in military

The White House on Friday announced its move to ban most transgender people from serving in the military "with limited exceptions", thereby making President Donald Trump's pledge - that he tweeted out last year- official, reports said.

The announcement was made through a White House memorandum, which was issued on Friday night on policies determined by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. 

According to the memorandum, transgender persons were "disqualified from military service except under limited circumstances, The Hill magazine reported. It was filed in the US District Court in Seattle and read, "transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria -- individuals who the policies state may require substantial medical treatment, including medications and surgery -- are disqualified from military service except under certain limited circumstances".

However, Mattis will have some wriggle room in implementing the policy, as per the memo. The same relaxation has also been offered to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen regarding recruitments for Coast Guard, IANS reported. According to the memo, the two top officials "may exercise their authority to implement any appropriate policies concerning military service by transgender individuals". 

Meanwhile, LGBTQ activists denounced the White House's decision as "despicable" and "discriminatory". "There is simply no way to spin it, the Trump-Pence Administration is going all in on its discriminatory, unconstitutional and despicable ban on transgender troops," IANS quoted Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin as saying. 

"The Trump-Pence administration's continued insistence on targeting our military families for discrimination is appalling, reckless, and unpatriotic," American Military Partner Association president Ashley Broadway-Mack also said. 

Trump first called for a ban on transgender troops in a series of tweets last year and followed up in August by issuing a memo banning transgender people from enlisting. 

in July last year, Trump had tweeted, "After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US Military." He had further said, "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."

The ban has since been battled over in court, with Mattis in February giving Trump a final recommendation. It was expected that he would recommend Trump allow transgender troops to remain in the military.