New US President Joe Biden on Monday, January 25, overturned Donald Trump's controversial decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military if they needed medical treatment.

In the presence of Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, the US President signed an executive order that "all Americans fit to serve in the United States armed forces should be able to do so. do, "the White House said in a statement. 

Here's @JoeBiden @POTUS executive order reversing the #transgender ban: pic.twitter.com/TBP4bNJefM

- Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) January 25, 2021

"President Biden believes that gender identity should not be an obstacle to service in the military and that America's strength lies in its diversity," added the US executive. 

"Allowing all fit Americans to serve their country in uniform is better for the military and better for our country because an inclusive (military) force is a more effective force," the statement continued.

"Put simply, that's what's right and it's in our national interest."

A measure deemed discriminatory

At the end of his term, former Democratic President Barack Obama had planned that the military would start welcoming transgender recruits on July 1, 2017. 

His Republican successor first postponed the deadline to January 1, 2018, then decided to completely reverse this policy.

Donald Trump had put forward, in a burst of tweets in July 2017, "the burden of enormous medical costs" and "disruptions", taking the opposite view of the military hierarchy.

After various legal actions, the case reached the Supreme Court, which in January 2019 authorized Donald Trump's administration to limit the rights of transgender people while awaiting the outcome of the ongoing legal battles.

As of April 2019, transgender people are forced to serve based on their gender assigned at birth.

And people who need hormone treatment or gender reassignment surgery can no longer enlist, nor can people who have previously undergone medical treatment for gender reassignment.

The measure had been criticized by human rights defenders who considered it discriminatory and believed that it would lead transgender soldiers to conceal their gender identity.

The Pentagon estimates at 9,000 the number of people who identify as transgender, who serve in the armed forces, of which a thousand say they have changed their sex or want to do so.

The US military has 1.3 million active service personnel.

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR