Washington Sheriff invites transgender military members to work for his department
'If any transgender former or active duty members of our armed forces want a supportive boss, apply here'
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Your support makes all the difference.Days after Donald Trump announced he would ban transgender people from serving in the military "in any capacity, a sheriff in Washington state has invited them to apply to work on his force.
"If any transgender former or active duty members of our armed forces want a supportive boss, apply here”, John Urquhart tweeted.
In a separate interview with NBC News, he added: "I respect anyone who steps up to serve our country and community, whether they’re a member of the armed forces or a first responder."
"I’m proud to have transgender individuals serving within our ranks, and they do an excellent job protecting our community day in and day out… Any transgender person forced out of the military is invited to apply!”
Urquhart serves as chief law enforcement officer for 1.9 million people and oversees over 1,000 employees at the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Many supported his offer with one person tweeting: “I applaud your desire to assist the transgender community. President Trump's disparaging remarks are callous and cold hearted”.
However, some criticised his comments.
One tweet said: “How about sticking to law enforcement rather than political hack? Disappointing to see sheriff using office to attack the president. Shame."
Urquhart responded: “I'm using my office to support those who serve in our armed forces, as the President should be doing.”
President Trump's decision reversed his predecessor Barack Obama's move to allow active-duty troops to come out as transgender people.
However, there have been no moves to make his comments official.
General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, als insisted there would be “no modification” to the military's transgender policy after President Donald Trump's announcement.
"There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President's direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance," he wrote in a message to military leaders.
He added: "In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect.”
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has also ruled that transgender individuals are covered under the federal civil rights law.
Around 250 service members have applied to change their gender in the military since the ban was repealed a year ago, according to the Associated Press.
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