- Title: Activist condemns Trump's ban on transgender in U.S. military, 'policy by tweet'
- Date: 26th July 2017
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) WIDE SHOT MARA KEISLING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY, SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARA KEISLING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY, SAYING: "Well, it seems that what the President is saying is that he is going to fire 15,000 highly trained, motivated troops. It is a catastrophe for military readiness. It is, of course, a catastrophe for those 15,000 people who are just trying to serve their country. But it is just absurd that he would think to do this and do this apparently without consulting the Pentagon. We're hearing from the Pentagon they didn't know about this. It's just, it's just outlandish. It is policy making by whim and tweet, and it is not okay."
- Embargoed: 9th August 2017 18:14
- Keywords: Donald Trump transgender military tweet
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C. / ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED / INTERNET / BABADAG, ROMANIA / SAIDA KALACHA, ARGHANDAB DISTRICT, KANDAHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN / SANGIN, AFGHANISTAN
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C. / ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED / INTERNET / BABADAG, ROMANIA / SAIDA KALACHA, ARGHANDAB DISTRICT, KANDAHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN / SANGIN, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Various
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0026RCV6TJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: TRUMP'S TWEETS IN EDIT 3181
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (July 26) he would ban transgender people from the U.S. military, an action appealing to some in his conservative political base but sowing confusion about the fate of thousands of transgender service members.
Trump's announcement, in a series of Twitter posts, drew swift condemnation from rights groups and some lawmakers in both parties as "raw prejudice" with purely political motives.
"It's just outlandish. It is policy making by whim and tweet, and it is not okay," said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington.
But it was praised by conservative activists and some Republicans.
The Republican president's tweets offered no details on how the ban - reversing Democratic former President Barack Obama's policy - would be implemented.
Chelsea Manning, the transgender Army soldier who served seven years in prison for leaking classified data, said on Twitter that Trump's action "sounds like cowardice." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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