--- title: Transgender Military Ban: Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims description: No facts support the President’s claim that healthcare costs will increase if transgender military members continue to serve openly canonical: https://time.com/4877230/trump-transgender-military-ban-myths/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-27T20:39:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:25:53.856Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 4 Dangerous Myths About the Transgender Military Ban og:description: What the facts say (and the President doesn't) og:url: https://time.com/4877230/trump-transgender-military-ban-myths/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfcc2f9357450297/6988d77b22fb8584d1e2227e/transgender-military-myths.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5496 og:image:height: 3092 og:image:alt: Transgender Military Service Ban og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 Dangerous Myths About the Transgender Military Ban twitter:description: What the facts say (and the President doesn't) twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfcc2f9357450297/6988d77b22fb8584d1e2227e/transgender-military-myths.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 4 Dangerous Myths About the Transgender Military Ban > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=fdf7aca7-7598-42a5-85f3-9c71c4d46a36&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Transgender in the Military: Camouflaged Identity [Watch (HLS stream): Transgender in the Military: Camouflaged Identity](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/R659iSlZ.m3u8) (14:08)  _Published 2015-07-15. An estimated 15,000 transgender troops currently serve in the U.S. military. Each has risked dismissal from military service for revealing his or her identity. That could all be about to change. Directed by Gillian Laub and Shaul Schwarz_ by [Harper Jean Tobin](https://time.com/author/harper-jean-tobin/) ## Harper Jean Tobin Jul 27, 2017 8:39 PM UTC by [Harper Jean Tobin](https://time.com/author/harper-jean-tobin/) ## Harper Jean Tobin Jul 27, 2017 8:39 PM UTC President Donald Trump [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890193981585444864) yesterday that “the United States Government will not accept or allow [Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity](http://time.com/4874255/donald-trump-transgender-military-cant-serve/) in the U.S. Military.” The messages, quickly denounced by leading members of Congress from both major parties, [confused military leaders ](http://time.com/4876984/ray-mabus-president-donald-trump-transgender-military-service-ban/)— who had not been informed of the change in policy. It also confused many Americans. Why pink-slip thousands of military service members for no reason other than who they are? Why reject the values of honor and integrity, while undermining the readiness the President is pretending to protect? The justifications, when they weren’t transparently cruel, have largely relied on myths. Here are four of the most persistent among them, and why they’re wrong — if not dangerous. **1\. That it improves preparedness**. Currently, over [15,000](https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/military-related/us-transgender-military-service/) transgender people [serve in the U.S. armed services](http://time.com/4874380/donald-trump-military-transgender-how-many/), and Trump is attempting to make policy through Twitter that would overturn the current [military policy](https://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0616%5Ftransgender-policy/). At a time when [0.4% of the U.S. population](https://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/what-percentage-of-americans-have-served-in-the-military/) serves in uniform, removing highly trained, well-qualified, and deeply committed service members does nothing to increase readiness — in fact, it does the opposite. **2\. That it’s the American thing to do**. In the military, there are supposed to be no distinctions among service members — all are Americans serving their country. Like their comrades, transgender service members have committed their lives to serving, and the armed services have invested tremendously in training them. Ending their careers simply because of who they are is an appalling attack on our military and on our nation’s values. It is about bigotry, rather than military readiness, reason or science. It is indefensible, and it cannot stand. **3\. That it saves Americans money**. No facts support the President’s claim that healthcare costs will increase untenably if transgender military members continue to serve openly. A 2016 [study](http://www.rand.org/pubs/research%5Freports/RR1530.html) by the Rand Corporation projected that transition-related healthcare spending would make up only 0.005–0.017% of the Defense Department’s health care budget. This is medical care prescribed by military doctors and supported by every major medical [association](https://www.lambdalegal.org/sites/default/files/publications/downloads/ll%5Ftrans%5Fprofessional%5Fstatements%5F17.pdf). No one begrudges our troops their [health and medical care](http://time.com/4875375/transgender-ban-military-doctors-react/) — singling out transgender troops is irrational and wrong. **4\. That it preserves unit cohesion.** “Military and political leaders insisted that lifting DADT would undermine cohesion, recruitment and retention, but none of these concerns were borne out and the change was uniformly hailed for improving readiness,” said Army Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, retired Army Major Gen. Gale Pollock and retired Army Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender in a recent public [statement](http://thehill.com/policy/defense/336716-retired-generals-to-mattis-dont-delay-accepting-transgender-recruits). The Rand study and actual experience by the Defense Department have shown that soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are serving with their units and commanding officers, and serving well. We have qualified and trained transgender service members already in place, as well as transgender Americans who are able and willing to join and serve their country. Retaining talented service members — rather than kicking them out them simply because of their gender identity — is the right thing for the country. As Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain [said](https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=80124D36-EF8B-4CBD-A75A-9C6C697CA235) this week, “Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train and deploy to leave the military — regardless of their gender identity.” Our service members and their families deserve better. Transgender people are our friends, neighbors and coworkers. [Transgender veterans ](http://time.com/4874955/transgender-veterans-reaction-trump-military-ban/)have served with honor, and active duty transgender service members make sacrifices daily. When it comes to being able to serve their country, we should be proud of their service. ## Transcript When I found out I was going to Afghanistan, a lot of people were like, excited. Some people were shaken up. But I was more optimistic at the fact that I could, you know, maybe die and not have to face the reality of, you know, the life that nobody knew. I have a family. I had a wife, I had my pets, and I had things to come back to. But at the same time, those didn't mean anything to me because I wasn't able to be me with God, as you know, as a main focus of my life. I made a bet with him. I was like, Hey, 5050, you know, if I flip this coin and it lands on heads, I keep my heads off the lions on tails, I'm a blow it out when I flip that coin. I was hoping, you know, that I can just choose a way out. But I landed on heads, you know, And God, obviously to me, wanted to keep me around, but I didn't know why and I didn't question him. But I made a promise, you know, if I'm going to go and try to live the rest of my life, I'm going to try a little bit happy. I was like the really the most selfish being active ever chose to thing. But I was done pretending. I've been done for pretending for years. And yeah, I seem like a coward way out. Easy, way out. But it was something that I value that problem. And, you know, memorials are made after people. Who die in war. Memorials are made for trans people who balance dreams. I felt proud to be an American soldier and to be able to wear the flag on my shoulder and show that as an American, this is part of paying for our freedom and paying for our rights. The military does employ the most transgender people out of every corporation or any job in the United States. 15,000 people are transgender in the military serving right now. That's 15,000 people that are questioning who they really are and trying to be a soldier protecting the freedom of American rights. They're patriots. They are doing stuff that only 1% of the population does. And to have that cloud over them, I feel, limits them from having their full potential of being the best that they can be. Ironically enough, it was my promotion that outed me after they had saw that my enlistment paperwork said Female. I talked to a sergeant major and sat down, looked me in the face and said, So what are you? And I remember thinking, I'm human first and foremost, and I'm here to do my job. I took my first job, testosterone, and it was like I took my very first breath of life that made me a better person. And it made putting on that uniform so much easier. So I began without telling anybody except my closest friend at the time, and nobody asked any questions for a year. So while wearing a uniform and at work, I was female. I was she. I was her. But outside of work, in civilian clothes, outside of the base, everybody saw me as male. And then I left my command in Hawaii and arrived on the East Coast to begin my deployment training. I arrived by myself. Nobody from my unit was with me and everybody took me again at face value. So I went through uniform issue with the males, and then I went on to do combat training with the males. And then when I arrived in Afghanistan, I was in the barracks with the males like I had been through my entire training. And that's the picture I sent back home to my family whenever I was over there. My mom actually got rid of all my pictures from about time I was one to fairly recently. So 22, 23 years old. It was almost like having those pictures on display or hanging up in the living room or anything like that would be like having a stranger in your house for both of us. So she decided to get rid of them. And now all we have are pictures moving forward. I'm leaving out. Why would you just sit in one spot? I had this funny. Name for these patrols. I'd just like to go ahead and do my part and just try and do my job and live my life. I mean, look at the Army's core values. The loyalty, honor, respect. I mean, like these people, me included. I was honest with my chain of command. I took the courage to to tell them the truth, and they still kicked me out for it. I mean, I go to work scared every day that today is going to be the day they're going to hammer down on me for being mean, for just being mean, for just existing. I obviously joined the military as a male, and after a year of serving in the Army, I began transitioning from male to female. And by the time I left about five and a half years later, I left as a female soldier and definitely had a lot of anxiety that like somebody would call me out on it or somebody would just go in and start pushing the regulations and kick me out. But I remember there was this one instance was probably the last four months that I was in active duty. I was sitting in a conference room and it was me and my battle buddy. We were waiting for a brief and it was just the two of us. And I leaned back in the office chair and my makeup compact had actually fallen out of my cargo pocket. And you just looked at me, looked at the compact, and I was trying to think of some excuse as quickly as possible, like I was holding on to it for another female soldier. I was starting to say something like that, and all I did was reach down, picked it up and handed it to him and he's like, Dude, everybody knows, nobody cares. You're just still the same soldier that I've always hung out with, that I've always worked with. And and it doesn't bother me any. Being openly transgender in the military is found as a behavioral health disorder or mental disorder, and they can kick you out administratively or through a med board for being transgender. It's definitely hard to go from one extreme to the other when I have an amazing weekend with my friends and then wake up Monday morning and put on my uniform and know that I can tell anybody at work how busy my weekend was, what I did. It's it makes you feel separated from everyone around you. Like, this is me and this is me excited. This is me. Living doesn't feel like anything. It feels like normality. It feels like I'm just expressing who I am, what I am, you know, that's like, God made me this way and I want to fully express it. I'm going to fully love it and hold on to it and be able to do what I'm going to do to be me. And no one can take that from me. I mean, they can try as hard as they want, but this is who I am and this is who I always will be as grandmother. I don't care. There is grandmother. Hi, Carla. I saw I was okay. I was terrified. They may not that. Grandma doesn't like me. I say Grandma doesn't like me. So I'm going to get going. I'll talk to you guys later, okay? And I'll. Bye. Love you. The She isn't just busy. I mean, every time she's just busy or is is like I talk to her for a second and then she just walks away. She's been there, like, my whole life. And now since, like, this part of my journey when, like, she can help me and everything is just not there. I talked to a sergeant major, and he made me produce government paperwork that said I was male. And then he sent me back to work. And then only 15, 20 minutes later, I was pulled back again and told to pack my bags and I would be out on the next rotator, had to be escorted back to my room because all of a sudden I was a female and male space. So I had to be supervised to pack my bags and I had to bring everything to the loading docks and wait. And I was surrounded by these people who were going home after a deployment that had lasted them a year. And they were continuing talking about the things they were looking forward to, the things that they couldn't wait to see again, their families, their brothers, their sisters, their kids have a certain meal. And all I wanted to do was go back to work. I always knew that it was really just kind of bound to happen. Eventually, it was only a matter of time that the wrong person would figure me out and kick me out for it. Even though I was sworn in as a female and to the Ohio National Guard, the Battalion XO definitely made sure that you used to regulations in order to kick me out for being transgender. So within a year of being sworn in and completely accepted, I was rejected and kicked out. And even now that I'm a defense contractor, I make three times my salary as an active duty soldier. I'd definitely trade it in a heartbeat just to just to wear the uniform again and be a soldier like I was before. I nobody knew about my secret and nobody knew about the situation I was in. And it was actually easier to be in Afghanistan than it is to be in the States. There was only one thing I really had to do was go out and do missions and that really there's no future, There's no past. There's only that moment. 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