President Trump: Transgender people not allowed to serve in US military

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said transgender people will be barred from serving in the U.S. military, writing on Twitter that such service would cause “disruption” and burden the U.S. with “tremendous medical costs.”

Current Department of Defense policy allows for transgender people to serve openly and says individuals "can no longer be discharged or otherwise separated from the military solely for being transgender individuals."

"We're not allowed to use certain restrooms and now we're not allowed to protect our country?" said Juliet Evancho, transgender activist. "Why wouldn't we be able to fight as hard? As anyone in the military?"

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Trump said the decision was made after he consulted his “generals and military experts.”

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail," he wrote in a series of tweets.

White House Press Secretary Sara Huckabee Sanders said, "Obviously this is a difficult decision. It is not a simple one, but one that the president feels is the best one for the military."

SisTers Pgh founder Ciora Thomas said the announcement came as a shock. Thomas, who is a transgender woman, started the nonprofit to help end homelessness among transgender people in the city.

"Those that are enlisted already in the Army, and those that may want to fight for our country later on down the line, that's completely taking away that opportunity," Thomas said.

While angered by the president's decision, she is concerned about the impact it could have on other transgender issues like bathroom and locker room policies at local schools.

Last week, Pine-Richland School District's board of education voted to allow students to use the bathroom matching their gender identity, reversing its previous policy.

"We've been fighting hard and now we have to fight even harder for our voices to be heard and for us to be acknowledged," Thomas said.

In Southwestern Pennsylvania, only Pittsburgh and Pine-Richland school districts have written policies pertaining to transgender students. Evancho, the transgender sister of star singer Jackie Evancho, recently sued the school district over the transgender bathroom policy and won.

You'll remember, her younger sister Jackie even performed at President Trump's inauguration. She says his decision today was hurtful and shocking.

"We're regular people and just as capable to fight and protect our country," Juliet Evancho said.

It's unclear if the president's decision on the military will have any impact on other districts considering similar policies.

Cox Media Group