Performative politics found a Democratic lawmaker reintroducing the “EQUITY Act” to oppose the president’s priorities concerning gender ideology.
Upon returning to the White House, President Donald Trump acted swiftly to shore up the mission of the U.S. military in part by purging “political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion.” This included restoring his ban on members claiming to be transgender prompting Washington Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D) to revisit an attempted amendment of Title 10 of the U.S. Code regarding military law and regulations.
Monday, the secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus and member of the House Armed Services Committee reintroduced the Equal and Uniform Treatment in the Military Act after it failed to receive a vote in July 2023.
“A diverse military is a strong military, and addressing our recruitment and retention challenges is vital to shoring up our national security and ensuring readiness,” argued Strickland in a statement on the legislation that had nine co-sponsors to start, according to The Hill. “Any person who is qualified to serve our country should be able to do so without facing discrimination.”
The act itself stated in part that, “every member of the Armed Forces has the right to serve, advance, and be evaluated based on only individual merit, fitness, capability, and performance, in an environment free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”
Despite Strickland’s stated concerns about recruitment and retention, it was reported in early February that the U.S. Army had had its best recruitment month in 15 years following the election of Trump with daily enlistments of nearly 350 in December 2024.
The enthusiasm for serving under Trump was followed by the commander-in-chief issuing an executive order banning transgenderism from the military, including those who purport to be a different gender, and procedures for genital mutilation, which in turn led to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issuing his own memo in support of the president.
“Individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect. The Undersecretary for Defense for Personnel and Readiness is authorized and delegated the authority to provide additional policy and implementation guidance outside of the normal DoD issuance process, including guidance regarding services by Service members with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria, to implement the direction,” he said as the president contended “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
A week later the U.S. Army stated on X, “The #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members.”
According to Defense Department statistics, less than 1% of the armed forces is comprised of individuals claiming some alternative gender identity amounting to about 11,500 service members.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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