A transgender Minnesota lawmaker has argued that President Donald Trump’s expected executive order to ban those who identify as trans from serving in the U.S. military “will only make our military less ready.”
State Rep. Leigh Finke (D), a biological man who identifies as a woman, became Minnesota’s first transgender legislator in 2023, Breitbart News reported.
In a Monday segment with CNN’s Pamela Brown, the activist politician addressed reports of the incoming executive order, which is aimed at reinstating Trump’s ban on openly transgender enlistees and prohibition of military-funded medical transitions from his first term in office.
“There is no evidence anywhere that has been presented that transgender service members are anything but qualified to be a part of our military service,” Finke said:
“The military is the largest employer of transgender Americans,” the state representative continued. “Up to 14,000, 15,000, members identify as trans, and 56 of our retired generals have said that our trans members are ready to serve.”
“They are fit to serve. This will only make our military less ready to serve by taking 15,000 people who volunteered out of service,” Finke argued.
Brown then brought up the text of the reported executive order and opinions from a formerly trans-identifying servicemember, leaving Finke stumped.
“It can take a minimum of 12 months for an individual to complete treatments after so-called transition surgery, which often involves the use of heavy narcotics,” Brown read from a White House document obtained by the outlet. “In this time, they are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements and continue to require consistent medical care. This is not conducive for deployment or other readiness requirements.”
Referring to Chris Beck, a former Navy SEAL who famously came out as a transgender woman before detransitioning back to living as a man, Brown said, “He told me he agrees with what President Trump is doing, and said ‘They’re 100 percent unfit for duty.’”
“I’m curious, what do you say to all of that?” the CNN anchor asked.
After a pause, Finke responded, “I would say that those are decisions that are best made by doctors and patients … This is another version of our political, discriminatory, MAGA Republicans trying to use pseudoscience to try to discriminate against an entire demographic of people.”
The White House document on the upcoming executive order, reviewed by Breitbart News, notes that the directive will require the Department of Defense (DOD) “to update its guidance regarding trans-identifying medical standards for military service and to rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.”
Newly-confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be directed to update medical standards within the department “to ensure they prioritize readiness and lethality” and to prohibit “the use of invented and identification-based pronouns in the Department of Defense.”
In an Instagram post last week, Finke instructed fellow trans-identifying people to “keep fighting” against Trump’s executive orders:
“Trans Liberation Now. Trump can sign his orders, they can pass their bills, ban our existence. None of it changes who we are,” the lawmaker wrote.
“Being trans is a gift and one I am so grateful to have received. No fascist Trumpist nationalist bullshit will ever change that. Get some rest. Stay safe. Keep fighting,” Finke added.
In 2023, Finke authored a bill to turn Minnesota into a “trans refuge” for children who use surgery and drugs to mimic the opposite sex, Breitbart News reported.
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