President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the US military, according to reports.
The BBC reported that the president may remove DEI initiatives from the defence department as part of several executive orders regarding the military on Monday (3 February). Such practices help to provide equity for historically marginalised groups, particularly in work environments.
A second executive order will reportedly see US officials writing a policy about transgender personnel after Trump previously vowed to restore anti-trans legislation, banning trans people from serving in the military.
Meanwhile, the outlet reports that a third executive order will reinstate military members who were discharged for refusing to have COVID-19 vaccines.
A spokesperson for The White House told the outlet that the order includes a ban on what the Trump-Vance administration calls “discriminatory race or sex-based preferences by any branch of the military, Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security”. Any remaining DEI-related bureaucracy will also be removed from such departments.
Reports surfaced that the US Air Force has reviewed training programme material relating to the role of Black and female pilots during World War Two in a bid to comply with Trump’s DEI orders.
The projected move comes after Trump boasted that he has defeated so-called “wokeness”. The 78-year-old president sang his own praises during a Las Vegas rally on Saturday (25 January), claiming the executive orders he had signed over the last five days had gotten rid of “the woke cr*p” in government.
During his rally, Trump baselessly claimed that companies never wanted to impose the policies in the first place and were instead pressured to do so. “I don’t think they believed it,” he claimed, adding that he “got rid of the woke cr*p.”
While several companies have reversed DEI practices over the past year, including Harley Davidson, McDonald’s, and Coor’s Light, several major companies across the US have vowed to keep their DEI initiatives in the face of conservative pressure.
Tech company Apple reportedly rejected a proposal to dismantle its DEI programmes, with its board labelling it as “unnecessary” and restrictive. Similarly, Microsoft has reaffirmed its commitment to DEI practices.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
The post Trump to sign executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion from US military appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.