U.S. President Donald Trump's move of reversing former President Barack Obama's policy of allowing transgenders to serve in the US armed forces drew swift condemnation from Senator John McCain and rights groups.
John McCain, Republican senator from Arizona, was joined by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who pushed back against Trump's decision to reinstate the ban barring transgender individuals from serving "in any capacity" in the US armed forces.
"The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense has already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today.Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving," CNN quoted the Arizona Republican statement.
"There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so and should be treated as the patriots they are," he added.
Trump, in a series of tweets, said that he arrived at this decision after holding consultations with military Generals and experts.
"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military," he said.
Thousands of transgender people, serving in the US military, face an uncertain future after Donald Trump's announcement in a series of tweets, which offered no details on how they would be implemented.
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