Today is the 10th anniversary of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the policy that barred openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving in the military. My service in the Army coincided with the last six years of DADT. We are now living in DADT 2.0 for trans people.
Before Trump's trans ban went into effect, the U.S. military was the largest employer of transgender people in the world. For three years, trans people served openly, a period described by the generals and admirals overseeing our military as free of complications.
Republicans now use the same fear-mongering over trans people that they did with lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the military back then:
1. Threats to military readiness and unit cohesion.
2. Medically unfit.
3. Moral panic.
1. Threats to military readiness and unit cohesion.
2. Medically unfit.
3. Moral panic.
It's hard to overstate just how wrong so many Republicans were back then. Because this wasn't just a party line thing, which would be bad enough. These people actually stood on the floor of the House and Senate and shouted their heinous opinions on this.
They said gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members would put the country at risk, undermine our national security, and place a burden on military families.
And they were absolutely wrong. They were dead wrong.
And they were absolutely wrong. They were dead wrong.
Studies done post-repeal of DADT have shown that not only did the fatalist and bigoted predictions of Republicans fail to come to pass, but that repeal of DADT may have actually *improved* the military.
There are now openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members serving with honor and respect throughout the military in all ranks, from the greenest recruit to U.S. Army Major Generals Tammy Smith and Randy Taylor, the highest ranking openly-gay service members. 
Republicans like @LindseyGrahamSC--who led the opposition to repeal of DADT--will never admit they were so thoroughly wrong on this and insulting to countless lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members and their families.
And they're now doing the same with the ban on trans people in the military. Against the expert advice of military leadership, medical experts, and defense analysts, Republicans sought--and obtained--a heinous, immoral ban on trans people.
When President Biden rescinds the ban on trans people in the military next year, please remember all this. Don't let Republicans forget how cowardly and bigoted they were in attempting to destroy honorably serving Americans for no better reason than being LGBTQ. /thread
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