President Donald Trump said [July 26] that transgender individuals could not serve in the military.
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow โฆ transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trumpย tweeted.
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A few thousand transgender people currently serve in the military, according to a 2016 report from researchers at the RAND Corporation.
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Here are five facts aboutย transgenderย individuals in the military that the researchers found.
The total number of transgender individuals in the military is very low.
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[In 2014] there were more than 1.3 million active service members, meaning that transgender individuals made up between 0.1 and 0.5 percent of the total active military, according to the report.โฆ
Not all transgender service members seek transition-related treatments.
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Transition-related treatment would disrupt less than 0.1 percent of the active military.
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Gender transition-related health care costs are “relatively low.” Though Trump cites “tremendous medical costs” related to transgender individuals serving in the military, the RAND study estimated these costs would fall between $2.4 million and $8.4 million each year.
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Foreign militaries can offer insights. In 2016, 18 countries allowed transgender individuals to serve openly in the military, according to the RAND report.
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None of these countries’ militaries “reported a negative impact on the operational effectiveness, operational readiness or cohesion of the force.”
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Transgender Military Ban: 5 Facts that Rebut Trumpโs Claims
