ABOVE: Photo via President Joe Biden’s Facebook page.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order (EO) Jan. 25 repealing Donald Trump’s transgender military ban, prompting widespread praise from LGBTQ-focused organizations across the state and nation.
The EO fulfills one of the key promises that the president made to the LGBTQ community on the campaign trail. It “sets the policy that all Americans who are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States should be able to serve,” the White House shared.
“President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a bar to military service, and that America’s strength is found in its diversity,” a press release reads. “This question of how to enable all qualified Americans to serve in the military is easily answered by recognizing our core values.
“America is stronger, at home and around the world, when it is inclusive,” it continues. “The military is no exception. Allowing all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform is better for the military and better for the country because an inclusive force is a more effective force. Simply put, it’s the right thing to do and is in our national interest.
The president also addressed the EO via social media.
“Today, I repealed the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military,” Biden shared. “It’s simple: America is safer when everyone qualified to serve can do so openly and with pride.”
National organizations quickly addressed Biden’s decision. The Human Rights Campaign noted “the greatest military in the world will again value readiness over bias and qualifications over discrimination.”
GLAAD added that “President Biden has fulfilled a campaign promise and is making our military stronger and more unified.”
In Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization immediately praised the reversal. “The Trump administration assaulted the transgender community at every turn,” Equality Florida Director of Transgender Equality Gina Duncan said in a statement.
“The welcoming back to work of thousands of transgender people who’ve made the sacrifice of serving their country is a win for America and a refreshing reminder that the Biden-Harris administration intends to turn the page on the bigotry of the last four years,” she continued. “The transgender community is ready to enter a new era where we are judged based on the content of our character, not our gender identity.”
Duncan also noted that there’s more work to do for LGBTQ Floridians and Americans at large.
“We are celebrating a win today but our work is just beginning,” she said. “The right of LGBTQ people to live with dignity should not rest on executive orders from the Oval Office, but should be fully codified into law. We are excited to roll up our sleeves and work alongside the Biden-Harris administration and leaders in Congress, including Florida’s own Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, to pass the Equality Act.”
The Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, which represents LGBTQ Floridians to the state’s Democratic Party, also praised the news.
“President Biden is proving from the very beginning that his will be the most pro-LGBTQ administration in American history,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill said in a release.
“His executive order today reversing the shameful ban on transgender service members imposed by the Trump administration underscores that he values individuals for who they are and how they can best use their skills and talents,” he concluded. “Discrimination has no place in America, and especially in our military.”
