This month, Pres. Biden repealed a Trump-era ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military. “It is my conviction as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces that gender identity should not be a bar to military service,” read a portion of the executive order.
William Robert is the director of LGBTQ Studies and an associate professor of religion at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. He provides a written perspective about how the ban was basic discrimination, and what this move by President Biden reaffirms for all Americans, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Prof. Robert says:
“Arguments against allowing transgender persons to serve in the military aren’t new. They’re straight out of discrimination 101. Anti-progressives have dusted them off and trotted them out many times, to try to ban men of color, then women, then LGB persons from military service.
“It’s reassuring to see that, once again, these arguments have failed. Because these arguments are really about who gets to count as a citizen, and whose lives count enough to be lost in military service. There probably hasn’t been, in the last few decades, a more important moment to reaffirm that American citizenship is a capacious category, one more interested in welcoming folks in than in keeping folks out.”
To request interviews or get more information:
Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications
M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell
The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 2nd Fl., Syracuse, NY 13202
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu
Syracuse University
The merger of Paramount and Skydance created a major new player in Hollywood, and the new combined company is already making a splash with its purchase of the U.S. rights to air UFC fights. But the political undertones of the…
This week, the White House announced that it was doubling tariffs to 50% on imports from India, due to the country buying oil from Russia. Reporters looking for an expert to discuss how these tariffs will impact global trade and…
As Major League Baseball prepares for a historic moment this weekend with Jen Pawol becoming the first woman to umpire a major league game, Falk College of Sport Professor Mary Graham calls it “overdue,” and emphasizes the broader implications for…
August marks 80 years since atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945—quickly bringing an end to World War II. At the time, the U.S. was calling for Japan’s unconditional surrender,…
If you’re covering the latest developments with Iran and their impact on Israel, the U.S., China, Russia, global supply chains, and more, Syracuse University faculty experts are available for interviews this week. Below, you’ll find a list of experts along…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
