Buzzfeed announced what has been hinted at since Trump was elected: “Transgender ban on military personnel is now in effect.”

While the issue of discrimination has greatly improved since the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s, it is sad and disappointing to see that it seems to continuously arise in our society.

“I have personally experienced discrimination,” sophomore Khalid Rashad said. “I have been harassed for my religion by complete strangers and I hope that we as a society can work together and accept each other for who we are.”

People who have these prejudices often justify it with reasons of their own–like their religion. 

The transgender military ban is often justified by people who cite the Christian Bible. They say it is an abomination to be an LGBTQ individual. Oftentimes these beliefs trickle into politics.

President Obama legalized gay marriage in 2015 allowing people to marry the ones they love without it being a crime. On the other hand, we have President Donald J. Trump who has decided that transgender individuals aren’t allowed in the military.

Some argue “President Trump is helping us keep our jobs by making America great again!”

But there is a crucial question. What exactly is this greatness we’re returning to?

We’ve become a country where one must hide their personality. Their loves. Their hates. Their dreams. Their hopes. A place where people must fear to show who they are, hiding in the shadows of the night, praying for hours to not be caught? Is this what we want our country to be? 

“Discrimination is definitely still present in today’s society. It is not like outright discrimination. It’s more subtle now, but it’s still horrible,” junior Max He said.

Americans believe they must be right, and therefore another must be wrong. Instead of agreeing to disagree, we’ve come to the point where we’re so confident in ourselves that any other viewpoint must be wrong.

What are we? Are we machines? Made to code only what we have been programmed to code? Or are we intelligent creatures with minds brilliant enough to discover language, the universe and history?

So why is there a belief that transgender individuals have a negative impact on our military?

A big point in this argument is that extending medical care for transgender individuals in the military would increase budgets by anywhere from $2.4 million and $8.4 million per year, according to Axios.

While this may seem like a large amount at first, Vox states that countries like Israel, UK and Canada, “letting trans people openly serve poses minimal to no costs to the military’s budget or readiness.”

Trump is focused on building a border wall, but budgeting could provide medical transition costs for any transgender individual.

In June 2017, the Pentagon reported over 250 service members were in the process of transitioning. Obama made several big steps advocating for LGBTQ, but others made small if not backward steps.

“Despite the progress we’ve made as a country to be accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s not nearly enough. Transphobia and homophobia are deeply rooted in our government and our society; major change won’t be possible without more representation in our media and especially in our government,” junior Christina Lumpp said.

According to Capital Gazette, the Naval academy has enforced Trump’s ban. Military students have lost scholarships and are now confused about what to do with their futures.

The Pentagon states will make sure each officer and military personnel won’t purposefully be kicked out as long as they serve as their original gender. In conclusion, the Pentagon’s solution is simple: Don’t be transgender. Pretend to be someone else.

The effects of discrimination can reach far and wide without us noticing. We are all human beings, living on this planet, who must help one another and stand together to make a better world.