Gay combat veteran reveals why Trump was RIGHT to ban transgender troops in the military
By James Gordon
Daily Mail
Jan 27, 2025
A decorated Iraq War veteran, Rob Smith, has spoken out to defend President Donald Trump 's controversial decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military
A gay decorated Iraq War veteran has vigorously defended President Donald Trump's controversial decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military.
In a fiery statement that pulls no punches, Rob Smith, who describes himself as a vocal advocate for military readiness and a staunch patriot, laid out a devastating critique of the impact transgender service members have on the armed forces.
'Trump just signed an executive order banning all transgender [people] in the military. Let me tell you what this means,' Smith began in a nearly four minute video posted to X.
'First of all, there are upwards of 15,000 trans people that are 'serving' in the United States military right now. All of these people are non-deployable.'
Smith, who served with distinction in Iraq, painted a stark picture of the military's operational challenges under the weight of what he calls 'politically motivated social experiments.'
According to Smith, transgender service members are unable to fulfill the most basic requirement of military service: deployability.
'If you are a transgender-identified person that's 'serving' in the United States military right now, you are non-combat deployable,' Smith continued.
'These people cannot be deployed to combat theaters when the U.S. is involved in any sort of conflict overseas. What this means is that you've got a lot of people sucking up taxpayer funds sitting in an office somewhere, maybe they're doing clerk work, but they are non-combat deployable.'
New Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has stated his mission is to restore a 'lethal' force
For a military led by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose mission is to restore a 'lethal' force, this issue strikes at the heart of operational readiness.
'This does not bode well for Hegseth's mission of a lethal military,' Smith asserted.
Smith didn't stop at combat readiness. He highlighted what he described as the financial burden that transgender service members place on the American taxpayer.
'The vast majority of transgender people, when they separate from the United States military, do so by medically separating,' he explained.
'This means that taxpayers are on the hook for $200,000 to $300,000 per year of 'transgender healthcare,' which is also covered by the VA.'
Smith elaborated that this includes the costs of gender-affirming surgeries, hormone therapies, and ongoing medical treatments.
'Every single transgender person that separates from the military by medical discharge is covered by the VA for the hormones or the testosterone or whatever that transgender person is on,' he said. 'This costs American taxpayers to the tune of six figures per person.'
In perhaps his most controversial claim, Smith pointed to the mental health challenges associated with gender dysphoria, which he described as a 'documented mental illness.'
Smith's firsthand experiences with transgender individuals during his time in liberal activism left him deeply skeptical about their capacity to thrive in the high-stakes environment of the armed forces
President Trump's executive orders, part of a broader effort to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs across the federal government, signal a dramatic shift in military policy
In fact, gender dysphoria is not considered a mental illness in the traditional sense, but it is a recognized condition in medical and psychological fields.
Either way, Smith argued that the condition further undermines the stability and cohesion of military units.
'We have these people that are not only non-deployable, they're also costing the U.S. taxpayer $100,000-plus per year for healthcare, and they also have a documented mental health condition,' Smith said.
'The thought of sharing a military unit with somebody who was a 'transgender woman' who is mentally unstable gives me a lot of pause.'
Smith's firsthand experiences with transgender individuals during his time in liberal activism left him deeply skeptical about their capacity to thrive in the high-stakes environment of the armed forces.
'On a personal note, if you know anything about my history, I am a gay soldier. I am a veteran,' Smith said.
'I actually protested to end the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law that banned gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly. But I was involved in liberal activism with more than one trans-identified soldier back in the day. And what I will tell you is that this is one of the most mentally unstable people I've ever dealt with in my entire life.'
Trump had tried to impose a ban on transgender troops during his first term, but it was tangled up in the courts for years before being overturned by Biden shortly after he took office in 2021.
President Trump's executive orders, part of a broader effort to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government, signal a dramatic shift in military policy.
Smith's firsthand experiences with transgender individuals during his time in liberal activism left him deeply skeptical about their capacity to thrive in the high-stakes environment of the armed forces
President Donald Trump is ordering the Pentagon put an end to DEI military initiatives and ban transgender troops form serving in the armed forces. Pictured: Trump takes part in the review of troops during his inauguration ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol on Monday, January 20, 2025
The new directives not only ban transgender individuals from serving but also reverse policies allowing for gender-affirming care and accommodations within the armed forces.
The Trump administration has defended the move as a necessary step to prioritize 'resilience, strength, and the ability to withstand extraordinary physical demands.'
Trump plans to sign two executive orders this week that will both eliminate DEI from the armed forces and prohibit transgender people from serving, DailyMail.com confirmed.
He already signed an executive order on his first day in office last week reversing Joe Biden's 2021 directive allowing transgender people in the military.
A new order will go even further and lay out standards regarding pronoun usage and gender identity.
It will also directly ban transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military.
The move is part of a wider crackdown on 'gender insanity' in the federal government, according to officials.
A Pentagon fact sheet emphasized that the extended recovery times and medical needs of transgender service members conflict with the military's readiness requirements.
A fact sheet on the incoming executive order banning transgender troops says they threaten 'unit cohesion' and 'stability among service members' and slams the long recovery time for those who receive transition surgery or start on hormone replacement treatments
Pete Hegseth spoke with reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon on Monday, January 27, 2025 for his first day on the job and Donald Trump's Defense Secretary. Pictured with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr.
The fact sheet also underscored concerns about 'unit cohesion' and 'stability among service members,' suggesting that transgender individuals may pose challenges in environments where trust and dependability are paramount.
The latest orders are directives for the Pentagon to take action, meaning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will need to act to create a directive for the branches to enact.
It's not clear when and if current trans service members will be discharged. It is also unclear how many troops would be affected.
The Defense Department has no exact figure on the number of transgender troops serving because not every transgender person is in the same state of medical transition and not every transgender person identifies as such in military paperwork.
The department has referred queries on how many transgender troops there are to the services; the services have said they have no way to track.
As with most of Trump's policies, this decision has sparked intense debate.
Supporters like Smith argue that it restores common sense and prioritizes merit over social experimentation. Critics, however, see it as a rollback of hard-won progress for LGBTQ+ rights.
Smith remains unwavering in his stance. 'This is why Trump has signed, or is about to sign, the executive order banning transgender persons from the military,' he concluded. 'It's not a medical experiment. Taxpayers should not be footing the bill.'
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