January 25th, U.S. President Biden signed an executive order rescinding the policy issued by former Trump in 2016 prohibiting transgender people from joining the army.
Biden said in his executive order: “Gender should not be an obstacle to military service.
The strength of the United States comes from tolerance, and the military is no exception.”
Under the new directive, the Ministry of Defense immediately corrects the files of any military personnel who have been affected by the ban, and transgender people can declare their gender according to their preferences and complete registration in the defense roster system.
Biden also asked the Department of Defense to submit a mission-propelled report to the president within 60 days.
As of 2019, there were approximately 14,700 transgender people in active duty and reserve service in the U.S. military, according to the Associated Press.
From 2016 to 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense spent approximately eight million U.S. dollars on transgender care. The military’s annual health care budget is as high as $50 billion.
