Recently, Mullen urged Congress to reject the Trump administration’s attempt to ban trans folks from serving.
Mullen’s been in the corner of the LGBTQ community for a long while, heading the repeal of the ignominious ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy’ and a speaking out against a recent bill that would have cut funding of gender-related medical expenses for trans folks serving in the military. That bill failed – thank goodness – but then you-know-who jumped on Twitter and said trans folks won’t be allowed to serve at all. Cue the outrage.
In reference to the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell period’, Mullen told USA Today that he “saw firsthand the harm to readiness and morale when we fail to treat all service members according to the same standards … Thousands of transgender Americans are currently serving in uniform and there is no reason to single out these brave men and women and deny them the medical care that they require.”
Other big companies – like Apple, Google, and Salesforce – came out of the woodwork to voice their support for transgender troops.
#equalityforall pic.twitter.com/0odEdQ2aUR
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) July 26, 2017
A comprehensive study revealed that trans medical expenses are incredibly low – less than $9 million a year, a drop in the bucket when it comes to a military budget set to top $824 BILLION this year. For context, the military spends 5 times more on Viagra than they would for medical care for transgender troops.
“I urge the Congress to respect the military’s judgment and not to breach the faith of service members who defend our freedoms,” said Mullen.
Whether it’s his pedigree or just that he talks a lot of sense, we hope people keep listening to what he has to say.
Rise up! Share this as a reminder that it’s everyone’s duty to speak up.
