
Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Sen. John McCain has already spoken out against a transgender ban in the military:
"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. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so – and should be treated as the patriots they are.”
TELL MCCAIN TO BLOCK THE TRANS BAN
Sen. McCain also made the right decision late last night when he joined
his fellow Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski to team up
with the Senate Democrats and cast a dramatic vote to block Trumpcare
on the Senate floor.
Now Sen. McCain can do the right thing again by putting his words into
action and using the currently pending defense policy bill to stand up
to Trump and block this hateful and discriminatory proposal.
The dramatic defeat of Trumpcare showed our activism works. A strong display
of grassroots support on our petition will help show Sen. McCain that
his legacy is on the line with the rights of transgender troops.
Tell McCain to stand on the right side of history against this ban.
Trump launched his vile and ugly attack against transgender people based
on a debunked, extreme right-wing talking point couched in policy. The fact is,
there is no evidence that there ever have been or will be high costs for
treating transgender people in the military. According to a recent report,
the estimated cost of medical care for transgender people serving in the
military is about 0.0014 percent of Trump’s total defense budget proposal.
The majority of Americans support equal protection under the law for LGBTQ
Americans, but in most states, people can be fired from their jobs, evicted
from their apartments, or denied services because of their sexual orientation
or gender identity and presentation.
By making incendiary, bigoted policy proposals like banning transgender
people from military service, Trump is not only refusing to create a climate
of safety and inclusion, he is also proactively attempting to dismantle
the rights of LGBTQ people. Elected officials who stigmatize and target LGBTQ people contribute to
a larger social context of intolerance. According to a 2009 survey, more
than half of LGBTQ people in the United States expect to be a victim of
a hate crime.
Tell Sen. McCain: Stand up to Trump’s bigotry. Ensure that the National
Defense Authorization Act blocks and prohibits Trump’s discriminatory
transgender troops ban.
Thank you for standing up for LGBTQ rights.
Tessa Levine, Campaign Manager
CREDO