'We expected this to happen': Activist not surprised by Trump transgender military ban
Morgane Oger says transgender recruits more vulnerable than before
A Vancouver activist who worked with the U.S. military is disturbed but not surprised by President Donald Trump's declaration that transgender people are not welcome in the armed forces.
The announcement hit close to home for Morgane Oger, the chair of the Trans Alliance Society of British Columbia.
"I was horrified but we expected this to happen," Oger told On the Coast's Tanya Fletcher.
"It's a really bad sign of what's to come," she said.
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In a series of tweets Wednesday morning, the U.S. president said the military "cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption" of transgender members.
When the ban on transgender people in the military was ended by former President Barack Obama in 2016, Oger said, "lots of transgender people put up their hand and said 'hi, I'm transgender, I'd love to be helped by my employer.'
"And now they have their jobs on the line."
Oger previously lived and worked in the United States with a company under contract with the U.S. Navy.
She said the culture in the U.S. Navy was professional and respectful during her employment there, although there was a lot of "hyper-masculine banter."
"I wouldn't say that I had any reason to think trans people would be unwelcome in the workforce where I was," Oger said.
Canadian military signals support
"But I did know better than to open my mouth and tell anybody I had gender identity issues at the time, because that would really be the end of me there."
In contrast, Oger said, transgender acquaintances in the Canadian military feel well looked-after.
On Wednesday the Canadian Forces tweeted about its welcoming approach to transgender recruitment.
Oger rejects Trump's claim that the medical costs for transgender military members is unsupportable.
She believes the real reason is a continuation of Trump's strategy to gain support by scapegoating foreigners and outsiders.
"We see this in Canada as well," she said.