Transgender Veterans Speak Out Against Trump's Ban on 'The Daily Show'

On The Daily Show, Donald Trump's latest tweet storm calling for the ban on transgender persons in the military was the topic of discussion. Although conservatives were interested in removing gender reassignment surgery out of the military's medical budget, a total ban was a bit of a shock. Trevor Noah discussed the issue with two transgender Army veterans, Sgt. Jennifer Marie Long and Joey Whimple. Long said, "In the immediate piece are you looking at a reduction of force by nearly 15,000 service members across the board that served in various segments or branches with different skill sets. Some are highly regarded skill sets that are very valuable for the military." Aside from losing skilled service persons from the military, a dishonorable discharge would permanently affect their careers. Whimple said, "That discharge code is everything. It's education benefits, it's health benefits, it's the lead in to a new job. They can never work in the federal government again with a dishonorable discharge or anything underneath honorable so it leaves that uncertainty for them completely." One of the main arguments in Trump's tweet was cost. However, according to Noah, gender reassignment surgery makes up .001% of the military budget, roughly $8 million a year, an incredibly small amount of money in comparison to say Trump's $60 million budget to live on his own property at Mar-a-lago. Although some people think transpersons are incapable of doing their job, Sgt. Jennifer Marie Long transitioned while serving in Afghanistan and it didn't affect her ability to serve her country in the slightest. Long said, "I received the Bronze Star and the French National Defense Medal. I was the first soldier that received that medal from the French since World War II."