A National Guard pilot returns home from deployment overseas. A Vermont National Guard spokesperson said Wednesday he had “no information” concerning the president’s announcement. File photo by Morgan True/VTDigger

[W]ASHINGTON — A tweeted announcement from the president Wednesday that the country would not allow transgender people “to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military” drew strong opposition from Vermont leaders.

Meanwhile, others were assessing the implications in the state.

In three messages early in the day from his personal Twitter account, President Donald Trump asserted that “tremendous medical costs and disruption” associated with transgender people burden the military.

Maj. Christopher Gookin, a spokesperson for the Vermont National Guard, said Wednesday that he had “no information” concerning the president’s announcement and referred questions to a national Department of Defense public affairs office.

An official at Norwich University, a private military college in Northfield, said the change in federal policy would not change the school’s policies regarding transgender individuals.

“We take seriously our responsibility to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students and employees, including our transgender students and employees,” Kathleen Murphy-Moriarty, vice president of marketing and communications, said Wednesday afternoon.

However, she said, the shift could affect the Norwich grads who want to go on to the military. In the class that graduated this year, 103 people planned to enter the military.

“This announcement does not impact Norwich policy, but it may impact any student wishing to serve in the military,” Murphy-Moriarty said.

A Rand Corp. report published in 2016 estimated there were between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender active service members out of a total active force of about 1.3 million.

The report stated that only a small portion of those people will seek medical treatment related to gender transition, and it found that associated costs “are relatively low.”

Trump’s decision came as House Republicans have been divided over a proposal to cut funding for sex reassignment surgery for people in the military.

Despite the president’s announcement there were no clear details on when the policy would be implemented.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement that more information will be forthcoming.

“We will continue to work closely with the White House to address the new guidance provided by the commander in chief on transgender individuals serving the military. We will provide revised guidance to the department in the near future,” Davis said.

The announcement that the country would reinstate a ban on military service by transgender people caught many in Washington by surprise and quickly drew ire from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair John McCain, R-Ariz.

The three members of Vermont’s delegation strongly condemned the change in policy.

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said the decision is “cruel, arbitrary, and goes against everything this country stands for.” Reinstating the ban is a “slap in the face” for thousands of transgender people who serve in the military, he said.

“With just three tweets, he weakened our military and the country it defends,” Welch said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., charged that Trump is “on the wrong side of history.”

“Discrimination has no place in our military or society. We must stand with transgender people,” he said in a statement.

In a string of posts on Twitter, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., voiced strong opposition to Trump’s announcement.

Gov. Phil Scott also spoke out against the president’s announcement.

“Every American who is willing, able and qualified to serve our country deserves the opportunity, our gratitude and our respect,” Scott said in a statement.

Vermont-based organizations also made statements against the president’s announcement, including the Pride Center of Vermont and LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont.

“Citing the medical costs of transgender service members as the rationalization for banning their participation altogether is a blatant example of our government’s thinly veiled transphobia,” the Pride Center said in a statement.

Note: This post was updated at 7:44 a.m. to include a comment from Gov. Phil Scott.

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Twitter: @emhew. Elizabeth Hewitt is the Sunday editor for VTDigger. She grew up in central Vermont and holds a graduate degree in magazine journalism from New York University.

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