US President, Donald Trump, has effectively banned transgender people from serving in the US military.

He made the announcement in a series of tweets in which he said the decision had been made after consultation with his Generals and military experts.

The President also stated that the military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

It looks as though it's a case of one step forward and two steps back, as the new policy completely contradicts the Obama administration's efforts to loosen restrictions on transgender people in the US military.

According to The Independent, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said that the Pentagon was giving the military another six months to conduct a review to determine if allowing transgender individuals to enlist in the armed services would impact its "readiness and lethality".