Biden Signs Order Overturning Trump's Transgender Military Ban

Biden Signs Order Overturning Trump's Transgender Military Ban

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday overturning the Trump administration's ban on transgender Americans serving in the military.

"Why it matters," reports Axios. "The ban, which allowed the military to bar openly transgender recruits and discharge people for not living as their sex assigned at birth, affected up to 15,000 service members, according to tallies from the National Center for Transgender Equality and Transgender American Veterans Association."

"Allowing all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform is better for the military and better for the country because an inclusive force is a more effective force," the White House said in a statement. "Simply put, it’s the right thing to do and is in our national interest."

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A 2016 RAND Corporation study estimated that the number of active-duty transgender troops could range from 2,000 to 11,000, but stressed that the true number could vary based on self-reporting, according to Axios. 

Biden ordered military records to be corrected if service members were discharged, denied reenlistment, or continued service due to their gender identity.