Trump used anniversary of military desegregation to ban transgender persons in mlitary

Time - When President Donald Trump said  that transgender people would not be allowed to serve in the armed forces "in any capacity," observers quickly noted that the tweeted announcement came exactly 69 years to the day after President Harry Truman signed an executive order that would lead to the desegregation of the military.

The need for such an action, declared Truman's July 26, 1948, order, could be traced to the idea that "it is essential that there be maintained in the armed services of the United States the highest standards of democracy, with equality of treatment and opportunity for all those who serve in our country's defense."

The order — which came after growing advocacy from African-American leaders and civil-rights groups — also established the creation of the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. The committee was tasked with carrying out the order, which demanded "equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin."

In his announcement on Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. Military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” In 1948, some military officials similarly pushed back against Truman’s order in the interest of “military efficiency.” But, in its final report, published in 1950, Truman’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services concluded that “inequality had contributed to inefficiency.”