World tweets support for transgender troops after Trump announcement
People protest President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the US military, in Times Square, in New York City, New York. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Republican president's announcement, made through a series of Twitter posts, upended years of efforts to eliminate barriers to military service on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Just last year, the Pentagon ended a prohibition keeping transgender people from serving openly.
Trump says transgender people barred from US military
Ironically, President Trump had tweeted he would 'fight' for the LGBT community during his election campaign.
The president's action was condemned by rights groups, Hollywood stars, tech CEOs and lawmakers.
The Canadian military also tweeted in support and welcomed recruits from all gender identities. The tweet included a photo of military band members marching in a parade with rainbow flags fluttering from their instruments.
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Hollywood also called for allowing transgenders to serve:
Tech CEOs used the hashtag #LetThemServe