By Noah B., 7th Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
President Donald Trump recently proposed a ban on transgender people serving in the military. Four district courts tried to block the Trump administration’s ban. Despite much protest and dismay, the White House announced its plan to carry this ban out on March 23, 2019.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the only exceptions to this rule are transgender people who are already in the military, transgender people who serve as the sex they were assigned at birth, and people diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The American Psychiatric Association defines gender dysphoria as “the distress a person experiences as a result of the sex and gender they were assigned at birth. In this case, the assigned sex and gender do not match the person’s gender identity.”
Kristen Wavle, middle school counselor at Krieger Schechter Day School holds a strong opinion about this topic. “I do not agree with political decisions that impact people’s rights when it comes to sexuality and [sexual] orientation. A person is a person. President Trump had no right to take that away from people.” Wavle, who has been working at KSDS for 11 years, has addressed this topic with concerned students. “Everything I hear from the students is positive and supportive, which is so amazing to me having grown up in a very different time,” said Wavle.
Sarai S., a seventh-grade student at KSDS, is passionate when it comes to human rights. “They’re just people. And I think if they want to join the military, then they should join the military without having to worry about being judged by race or gender,” says Sarai, who believes that the president’s decision violated the Bill of Rights. “I feel like it violates the First Amendment (freedom of expression). If a person feels like a man, then they should be allowed to be themselves.”
Many people lined up outside the White House and Pentagon to protest the government’s decision. A recent article in The Washington Post states,“The decision [to ban transgender officers from serving in the military] lifted an injunction that had barred the government from limiting transgender people’s service.”
The coming months will be telling and pivotal in American history. If President Trump executes his plan, it will be a huge blow to the entire LGBTQ community and send an uncertainmessage to our country.
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