A Suit That Fits
As any reader of GQ will attest, the suit makes the man. If one wears a suit that does not fit properly, drapes over the shoulders too much, does not have the right bend at the shoes, then this person should just stay home. Think of that silly suit that Sean Spicer wore on his very first press conference, the day after our current President was installed into his new job. If any man wore his suit with style, it is Anthony Scaramucci.
Travis M. Andrews, of the Washington Post, took note of the contrast. “Bloomberg noted on Friday that he was ‘wearing a well-fitting blue suit.’ The Atlantic was quick to point out, ‘Where Spicer’s suits were often ill-fitting, Scaramucci was sharply tailored.’ Scaramucci has been so well-dressed for so long that President George Bush once dubbed him ‘Gucci Scaramucci,’ according to a 2011 article in the Washington Post.”
While the President wears his suits well, one cannot move past the extra-long ties that adorn his neck—and waist. We should be grateful, one supposes, that the Chinese have enough material on hand to make these Trump ties. As Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci (don’t you miss him already?) and Donald Trump have proven, regardless of the quality of the suit, they are no reflection of the quality of man wearing them.
There is a suit looming that will fit the President quite well. This suit is being brought courtesy of Lambda Legal and another LGBT advocacy group, in the aftermath of an infamous Presidential tweet. The tweet itself has received plenty of press, but it is quoted here for context. The first tweet read, “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow....”
At this point, an overlooked and under-reported nine-minute delay took place before the second tweet which finished the sentence. Nine minutes may seem to be inconsequential, but it was nine minutes of anxiety and bewilderment on the part of the real military leaders in the United States. Was Trump announcing an act of war with North Korea? What other world crises would Trump address in the next tweet?
The second tweet read, “....Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming.....” The third and final tweet read, “victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”
The initial reaction among the transgender (and the broader LGBT) community was one of outrage and fear for the future, and rightly so. Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, said, “President Trump today issued a direct attack on transgender Americans, and his administration will stop at nothing to implement its anti-LGBTQ ideology within our government—even if it means denying some of our bravest Americans the right to serve and protect our nation.” Ellis continued, “Today further exposed President Trump’s overall goal to erase LGBTQ Americans from this nation. Trump has never been a friend to LGBTQ Americans, and this action couldn’t make that any more clear.”
Many news reports contrasted this anti-transgender tweet with Trump’s tweet from June 14, 2016, in which he stated, “Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs.” Unsurprisingly, Trump has long forgotten this promise, as he has many others.
The most encouraging response to this Presidential tweet came from Gen. Joe Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He stated that there will be “no modifications” to the military’s transgender policy, until the White House drafts a formal request for a policy change. Marine Gen. Joe Dunford also told the chiefs of the military branches and senior enlisted leaders that the military will continue to “treat all of our personnel with respect.”
Dunford’s position was reinforced later that day by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ chief spokeswoman. “The Department of Defense is awaiting formal guidance from the White House as a follow-up to the Commander-in-Chief’s announcement on military service by transgender personnel,” Dana White said. “We will provide detailed guidance to the Department in the near future for how this policy change will be implemented. The Department will continue to focus on our mission of defending our nation and on-going operations against our foes, while ensuring all servicemembers are treated with respect,” she added.
Fifty-six retired generals and admirals came out against Trump’s proposed ban. “This proposed ban, if implemented, would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent, and compromise the integrity of transgender troops who would be forced to live a lie, as well as non-transgender peers who would be forced to choose between reporting their comrades or disobeying policy,” the retired officers said in a statement.
All of these statements and reactions have set the stage for a lawsuit yet to be filed by Lambda Legal and OutServe-Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (Outserve-SLDN). In a blog written by Sasha Buchert, staff attorney for Lambda Legal, we are informed that this military transgender ban has been formalized as official policy. This comes from a report from the Los Angeles Blade.
Buchert continues, “This mean-spirited and discriminatory attack on our community is capricious, irrational, and clearly driven by anti-LGBT forces in the administration who care more about harming transgender people than keeping our nation safe. It is clearly unconstitutional. Lambda Legal has a long history of fighting for LGBT service members and, teaming up with OutServe-SLDN, we’re more than ready to fight like hell again. See you in court, President Trump.”
The coming weeks will reveal whether Trump himself is truly committed to this military transgender ban, or whether he was just in the midst of another diatribe. If he follows through with his expressed desire, a tailor will be ready to measure him for this suit. Not only will this suit fit, but it will be very fitting for a President driven by hate, fear-mongering, and ignorance.