West Hollywood City Applauds President Biden For Reversal Of Trump-Era Ban On Military Service For Transgender People

Press release from the City of West Hollywood:

January 26, 2021

The City of West Hollywood applauds President Biden for taking swift and decisive action to sign an Executive Order on Monday, January 25, 2021 to reverse the Trump-era ban on military service for Transgender people.

President Biden’s reversal of the discriminatory ban reinstates an Obama-era policy that ensures transgender Americans can, once again, serve openly in the United States Armed Services with pride, openness, and honesty.

“Transgender service members deserve our respect and gratitude,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “Instead, the Trump Administration’s ban on military service for transgender people sowed division, hatred, and intolerance. It was an insult to the dedicated service of our nation’s transgender service members and veterans. Anyone who is willing to put their life on their line for fellow Americans should be revered, not ostracized. President Biden has demonstrated that the previous ban was contrary to American values and I’m overjoyed to see this administration get to work in compassionately recognizing the contributions of transgender people and in ensuring that the rights of LGBTQ people are deeply embraced and quickly prioritized.”

The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates there are 15,000 transgender people currently serving in the military. In March 2019, the United States Department of Defense approved the Trump Administration policy to bar transgender troops and military recruits from transitioning to another sex and required most individuals to serve in their birth gender. This followed a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to decline hearing transgender military ban cases. A 2019 poll showed that Republican support for transgender Americans serving openly in the military had grown by 10 points in the two years following the Trump Administration’s announcement of the ban.

The City of West Hollywood has been one of the most outspoken cities in the nation in advocating for the legal rights of LGBTQ people. More than 40 percent of residents in the City of West Hollywood identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

The City of West Hollywood is one of the first municipalities to form a Transgender Advisory Board, which addresses matters of advocacy on behalf of transgender people in the areas of education, community awareness, and empowerment, and makes recommendations to the West Hollywood City Council. Through its Transgender Advisory Board, the City of West Hollywood regularly co-sponsors programming and recognizes Transgender Awareness Month and Transgender Day of Remembrance each November. For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s Transgender Awareness Month events, visit www.weho.org/tam.

As part of its support of the transgender community, the City of West Hollywood has a Transgender Resource Guide available on the City’s website, which provides information about a variety of resources including legal, health, and social services, available in the Greater Los Angeles area to enhance and improve the well-being of transgender people.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Individuals are advised to stay at home as much as possible and limit close interactions to those in your household. When in public, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet, and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone, even those who are vaccinated, to continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in in public.

West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.