Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens as President Joe Biden speaks before signing an Executive Order reversing the Trump era ban on transgender individuals serving in military, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed an order Monday reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military.
And the military set July 1, 2017, as the date when transgender individuals would be allowed to enlist.
A few weeks later, Trump caught military leaders by surprise, tweeting that the government wouldn't accept or allow transgender individuals to serve “in any capacity” in the military.
But they also acknowledged that some commanders were spending a lot of time with transgender individuals who were working through medical requirements and other transition issues.