President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday barring transgender people from openly serving in the military. He claims that the ban, which discriminates against potential service members based on their gender identity, will support military preparedness and reduce taxpayer costs — but the evidence behind it remains as thin as it was when Trump instituted the same policy during his first administration.

The executive order bans trans service members from using sleeping, changing, or bathing facilities that align with their gender identity. It claims that trans people “cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service” because of the “medical, surgical, and mental health constraints” they face and asserts that their use of pronouns other than those assigned at birth “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”

A White House fact sheet on the executive order further claims that paying for gender-affirming surgeries for service members and their dependent children came at the “cost of millions to the American taxpayer.”

The Department of Defense is coming up with a plan to implement the order, which will involve determining whether the ban will apply to existing service members or just those seeking to join the military going forward, according to a White House spokesperson. For now, current service members can still access gender-affirming care, but that could change imminently.

Despite these claims, it’s not clear that........

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