Coast Guard Commandant Breaks With Trump Over Transgender Ban
Coast Gaurd Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft has broken publically with Donald Trump over the transgender troops ban that Trump announced via Twitter last week.
According to the Zukunft, Coast Gaurd officials began reaching out to trans members to express support for their colleagues after Trump’s impromptu announcement.
“The first thing we did is we reached out to all 13 members of the Coast Guard who have come out” as transgender, Zukunft said at a public event in Washington, according to The Hill.
Zukunft said he personally contacted Lt. Taylor Miller, the Coast Guard’s first openly transitioning officer who was featured in a Washington Post article last week.
“If you read that story, Taylor’s family has disowned her. … And I told Taylor, I will not turn my back. We have made an investment in you and you have made an investment in the Coast Guard and I will not break faith,” Zukunft said.
“And so that was the commitment to our people right now. Very small numbers, but all of them are doing meaningful Coast Guard work today.”
“We’ve stood up a tiger team of our [Judge Advocate General’s Corps] officers,” Zukunft said, referring to the legal branch of the Coast Guard.
In his Twitter announcement, Trump claimed he was making the decision based on consultation with his Generals and military experts. However, the announcement blindsided Secretary of Defence Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford.
[image via Wikipedia]
