Donald Trump announced in a statement published on Twitter on Wednesday that the armed forces would no longer "accept or allow" transgender people into its ranks. He explained the sweeping pronouncement only by declaring that the military "cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption" that having trans men and women in the military would entail.
But to trans vets nationwide, there's no excuse or explanation that could justify such a discriminatory policy, especially given that a recent study estimates that trans people's medical bills cost the United States around $8.4 million a year, a tiny fraction of the country's overall military health care spending. We spoke to Cynthia DeVille, a 20-year trans veteran of the United States Air Force, about her experiences in the armed forces and her impression of the president's latest declaration.
