Olympian and reality star Caitlyn
Jenner has described President Donald Trump's announcement that the
military will no longer “accept or allow” transgender troops as
“half-baked.”
The president made the announcement
Wednesday in a series of tweets.
(Related: Trump
says military will bar transgender troops.)
Jenner, who came out transgender in
2015, responded in a tweet, saying that “every American should be
outraged.”
“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?” Jenner asked,
referring to Trump's campaign promise to “fight” for the LGBT
community.
Jenner also posted a longer response on
her website, where she said that “this half-baked idea puts all of
our service members in harm's way.”
“Over the past two years I have met
the most inspiring trans people, and I can testify to the trans
community’s incredible resilience and perseverance in the face of
enormous discrimination and hate,” Jenner
wrote. “We are strong, we are beautiful, and we will win. The
President must ask himself which side of history he will be on –
and reverse his position immediately.”
“My father, William Jenner, landed on
Omaha Beach in WWII, and his bravery and service to his country has
always inspired me and helped make me the person I am today.
America’s 15,000 trans service members and 134,000 veterans are
much braver than you, Mr. Trump; my allegiance is with them and our
country, not you,” she added.
(Related: Caitlyn
Jenner: Trump is “toxic” on LGBT issues; Best man to “turn
country around.”)