Published Wednesday, July 26, 2017 | 11:44 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, July 26, 2017 | 2:29 p.m.
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President Donald Trump’s announcement on Twitter today that he is banning transgender individuals from serving in the military is drawing ire from Democrats in Nevada’s congressional delegation, as well as at least one Republican.
The announcement would impact more than 15,000 transgender military members, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said in a statement.
“Discrimination has no place in our armed forces,” Cortez Masto said.
Megan Taylor, a spokeswoman for Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said that Heller "believes that anyone who wants to join the military should be able to."
Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said the ban poses a safety threat and urged the president to rescind the decision.
“Bigotry is disruptive — not the thousands of brave trans men and women currently serving in our armed forces,” she said.
Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said barring transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces has nothing to do with costs or unit cohesion. She also called for Trump to reverse the decision.
“The president’s decision today to ban transgender military personnel from serving in our armed forces is an insult to patriotic individuals who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom,” she said.
Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
