US Naval Academy to ban transgender students
Naval Academy (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
The US Naval Academy will ban transgender students from attending from 2020 as a result of the trans military ban.
The Defense Department confirmed on Monday to the Capital Gazette that the US Naval Academy would no longer be accepting transgender students.
The school—which is based in Annapolis, Maryland—currently accepts transgender students and allows students to transition. However, the school has changed its policies following the introduction of Donald Trump’s trans military ban last week, which prevents transgender people from serving in the US Military and Navy.
Donald Trump’s trans military ban came into effect last week
The decision to disallow transgender students from attending the US Naval Academy comes just a week after Donald Trump’s trans military ban came into effect.
The US president first announced the ban in a series of tweets on July 26, 2017.
“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 wrote.
“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.”
– Donald Trump tweet from 2017
“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.”
The White House formally announced the policy in March 2018, which was blocked by a series of four injunctions.
In January 2019, the first injunction was lifted by an appeals court in Washington DC, with the Supreme Court removing a further two (from California and Washington state) in the same month.
Since trans people were given access to the military in 2016, 15,000 are estimated to have joined.
Incoming U.S. Navy plebes at the US Naval Academy (Mark Wilson/Getty)
13,700 transgender people are expected to lose their jobs under the new policy
Under the new policy, a trans person will have to live as the gender they were assigned at birth in order to serve in the military.
According to the Palm Center, 13,700 transgender people will likely lose their jobs with the military as a result of the new policy.
Last week, the US Navy announced that transgender sailors will be allowed to dress in accordance with their gender—but only when they’re off duty.
“There is no policy that prohibits the ability of a service member to express themselves off-duty in their preferred gender,” states guidance released by the Navy last Thursday (April 11).
“Appropriate civilian attire, as outlined in the uniform regulations, will not be determined based on gender.”
The trans military ban has had a significant ripple effect. This week, transgender student Map Pesqueira—who is studying at the University of Texas in Austin—found out that his military scholarship was being revoked. As a result, he can no longer afford to continue his studies and is fundraising to stay in university.
