Malloy Signs CT Executive Order Against President Trump's Transgender Military Ban

Following President Donald Trump's move to ban transgender people from serving in the United States military, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy Wednesday signed an executive order "reinforcing the state’s nondiscrimination policies within the Connecticut Military Department."

The order directs the Connecticut National Guard, the Connecticut Air National Guard, and the other armed forces of the state "to take no action that discriminates against service members in enlistment, promotion, or any other aspect of their service, on the basis of their gender identity or expression, unless superseded by federal law, regulation, or formal directive from the U.S. Department of Defense."

Wednesday morning, President Trump wrote the following on his Twitter page:

Malloy's executive order also directs the Connecticut Military Department "to review existing personnel policies and any formal directive from the Department of Defense or other federal entity, whether issues today or in the future, to ensure that service members are afforded the maximum protection and the greatest opportunity to serve our state and nation, regardless of their gender identity or expression, and to minimize any discriminatory impact on service members from any federal directive."

A recent study estimated that there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender service members currently on active duty in the U.S. military. An additional 1,500 to 4,000 are in the reserves – all of whom could be discharged from the military under the President’s new policy.

Click here to read Governor Malloy’s Executive Order No. 60

Photo: Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy