As far as Hollywood is concerned, Trump’s decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military is going over like a lead balloon. High-profile social justice warriors came out of the woodwork following the president’s decision, revealing none of them seem to know anything about military planning.
As of right now, very little is known about what Trump’s exact policy on transgender military service will be going forward. His sole Tweet is the only real information we have coming out of the White House so far. Still, celebrities and trans-rights activists aren’t waiting around to see what comes next.
Following Trump’s announcement, the Twitterverse erupted with one celebrity meltdown after another. Gay activist and Star Trek actor George Takei said of Trump that, “History shall record that you are not only the stupidest, most incompetent president ever, but also the cruelest and pettiest.”
Rob Reiner said, “Not allowing transgender people to serve in military, DT again shows astounding ignorance & bigotry. Simply put: DT is a hateful human being.”
Ellen Degeneres said, “We should be grateful to the people who wish to serve, not turn our backs on them. Banning transgender people is hurtful, baseless and wrong.”
Perhaps the most high-profile figure in the transgender community (and also a Trump supporter, consequently) Caitlyn Jenner said, “There are 15,000 patriotic transgender Americans in the US military fighting for all of us. What happened to your promise to fight for them?”
Even former Vice President Joe Biden spoke out, saying “Every patriotic American who is qualified to serve in our military should be able to serve. Full stop.”
These Tweets are just a few of the less explicit examples of backlash that celebrities across the nation showed in response to the President’s decision. The question, though, is whether or not the decision to ban transgender individuals from military service is really one based in hate and bigotry as these celebs seem convinced, or is it a president making the tough choices that are best for the safety of our troops and nation at large?
With countries all over the world counting on the protection of America’s armed forces to keep them safe, the U.S. military is not the staging grounds for a social experiment. There is no room for political correctness here. War and the soldiers who fight it have nothing to do with the utopian fantasy world that most all of these celebrities are living in.
The cold, hard truth is that if generals in the military and the Commander-in-Chief determine that trans individuals are a hindrance to the units they operate in, they should not be allowed to serve. For that matter, if generals in the military determine for some reason that straight, white men are a hindrance to the units they operate in, then they should not be allowed to serve.
There is no room for sparing feelings when it comes to protecting our soldiers and our homeland.
The truth is individuals are barred from service for far less. Poor posture, flat feet, or even being mildly overweight could result in someone being turned down by recruiters. Even extremely common mental disorders such as depression and ADHD are often automatic disqualifiers.
Whether or not transgender individuals are a risk and a burden to the units they serve in something that is up to military leaders to decide, and, according to President Trump’s Tweet, it’s a decision they’ve already made. Hollywood icons and social justice activists are in no position to question the manner in which our military is best capable of operating.
Of course, that’s not going to stop them from broadcasting their vitriol-laced opinions to anyone who will listen. When you view the world through rose-colored glasses, it’s easy to not understand how sometimes leaders must make the hard decisions – hard decisions that are meant to ensure no American soldiers are killed and no crucial mission is compromised because of preventable circumstances.
~ Liberty Planet
