How One Trump Tweet Changed These Service Members' Lives
Imagine getting a promotion only to find out shortly after you may just lose your job entirely.
That’s what happened to the subjects of “TransMilitary,” a documentary following four trans military service members.
“Everyone was doing great. Then this [Trump] tweet happened, and now all their lives are back in jeopardy once again,” Fiona Dawson, co-director of the film, told Cheddar.
Last July President Donald Trump shocked the world when he [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890193981585444864)[ that](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890196164313833472)[ trans](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890197095151546369) people would be banned from serving in the military, citing concerns over associated medical costs.
But a federal judge ended up blocking the administration’s proposal in November, putting back in place an Obama-era policy that allowed transgender service members to serve and enlist openly.
There are currently more than 15,000 trans individuals serving in the military, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality. Dawson said that these numbers make the U.S. military the largest transgender employer.
“So that tweet [was] good and bad,” she said. It “gave us the chance to have this conversation.”
TransMilitary debuted over the weekend at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Tex.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/exploring-the-lives-of-trans-service-members-in-transmilitary).
As more and more states end mask mandates and ease other COVID restrictions, discussions about the endemic phase of the pandemic have been growing. For weeks, scientists have warned about how contagious the omicron variant is, but now it seems the tone has shifted and governors are rolling back policies they've had in place for months. Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, epidemiologist and senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what the next phase of the pandemic might look like, how to act now that mask mandates are ending, and if we should be worried about another variant emerging.
Jeff Powell, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Polaris Wealth Advisory Group, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the market was looking for - and received - a little bit of relief when it came to the geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainians defied pressure from Moscow with a national show of flag-waving unity Wednesday, while the West warned that it saw no sign of a promised pullback of Russian troops.
The families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School have agreed to a $73 million settlement of a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 20 first-graders and six educators in 2012.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he welcomes a security dialogue with the West as his military reported pulling back some of its troops near Ukraine.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature poet and activist Amanda Gorman.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers Monday to quell the protests by truck drivers and others who have paralyzed Ottawa and blocked border crossings in anger over the country’s COVID-19 restrictions.
