US Military Transgender Ban
US Military Transgender Ban
In his first weeks in office, President Trump fulfilled campaign promises to target transgender identity. In an executive order, he declared that 'expressing a false gender identity divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards of military service'. The Department of Defense followed this up with a policy to sever transgender people from service. That left an estimated 4,200 transgender people in the US military facing the loss of their careers. The BBC followed two such officers, Major Kara Corcoran and Lt Rae Timberlake, from January to June as the military transgender ban survived court challenges and the severances began. Major Kara Corcoran is a trans woman and led troops in Afghanistan, including close contact with the Taliban. After 17 years in the army, she was completing an elite military leadership course at the Army University in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, when the Department of Defense announced it would enact the executive order and gave transgender military personnel 60 days to voluntarily separate from the military or face forced separation. Kara decides to stay and fight for her right to graduate - but with graduation happening after the voluntary separation deadline, will she be allowed to? Lt Rae Timberlake is non-binary and uses pronouns 'they' and 'them'. They have a wife and daughter and served in the navy for 17 years. Their family have moved frequently to follow postings internationally and within the USA. Now with the transgender military ban taking effect, they must decide what would be best for their family. The film also hears from a former Navy Seal Carl Higbie, now a host at right-wing channel News Max. He's a vocal supporter of the transgender ban and other policies which end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the US military. The Department of Defense declined to give a statement to the BBC but has said 'it is committed to treating all service members impacted by the policy with dignity and respect'.