British Army General slams Donald Trump's ban on transgender service-people as he joins top brass in their support for equal rights
- UK defence chiefs have backed transgender people serving in the armed forces
- President Donald Trump announced they are to be banned from the US military
- Rear Admiral Alex Burton, Commander UK Maritime Forces, tweeted support
A senior British Army General today joined other top brass in the Armed Forces in condemning Donald Trump's ban on transgender service-people.
Lieutenant General Patrick Sanders, commander of the field army, said he was proud to serve alongside transgender people in the Army.
Lt Gen Sanders intervention came after chiefs of the Royal Navy made public their opposition to Mr Trump.
Lieutenant General Patrick Sanders (left) today became the latest member of the Armed Forces top brass to say he was proud to serve alongside transgender people in the Army. Last night Rear Admiral Alex Burton, Commander UK Maritime Forces, led criticism of President Trump's ban on transgender soldiers
In a series of posts on Twitter, Mr Trump said he had taken the decision because US forces 'cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail'.
Lt Gen Sanders said: 'The British Army is proud to have many transgender soldiers serving their country and I was proud to march alongside them at Pride this year.
'Like all soldiers, they are prepared to lay down their lives for their country.
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'We are a stronger and better Army for being inclusive and we benefit from the rich diversity of all represented in the British Army.'
Rear Admiral Alex Burton, Commander UK Maritime Forces, tweeted last night: 'As a Royal Navy LGBT champion and senior warfighter I am so glad we are not going this way.'
He added: 'We have a justifiably rigorous selection process but it doesn't include discrimination and we're a better fighting force for it.'
Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock said on Twitter he was 'proud' of the Royal Navy's transgender personnel.
Rear Admiral Alex Burton, Commander UK Maritime Forces, who tweeted: 'As a Royal Navy LGBT champion and senior warfighter I am so glad we are not going this way'
Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a rainbow flag given to him by supporter Max Nowak during a campaign rally in 2016 in Colorado
'They bring diversity to our Royal Navy and I will always support their desire to serve their country,' he added.
'I suspect many who doubt the abilities of our diverse service personnel might be more reluctant to serve than they are to comment.'
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it did not comment on 'US military recruitment policy'.
President Donald Trump tweeted about a new U.S. military policy on transgender individuals Wednesday morning
Protesters outside the White House on July 26 after Trump announced transgender people may not serve 'in any capacity' in the US military
But the spokesman added: 'We are clear that all LGBT+ members of our armed forces play a vital role in keeping our nation safe.
'We will continue to welcome people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including transgender personnel.'
The MoD said it was unable to confirm how many transgender people served in the UK military.
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