Prominent Indian-American lawmakers have criticised US President Donald Trump after he signed a memo instructing the Defence Department to stop accepting transgender people into the armed forces.
The presidential memorandum signed on Friday officially requested the Pentagon to develop an implementation plan for the ban by February 21, 2018, to be put in place on March 23, 2018.
Slamming the move, Democratic US Representative Ami Bera said: “If you wear an American military uniform, you deserve the respect and support of the Commander-in-Chief... Unfortunately, Donald Trump is more comfortable peddling in discrimination and bigotry, and he’s shown that he is unable to support our troops.”
“Removing these men and women from service or refusing recruits because of who they are goes against every American value they swear to defend,” said Bera, who is the longest-serving Indian American currently in the Congress,” Bera said in a press release.