South Florida Republicans weigh in on transgender ban in US military

MIAMI – South Florida Republicans are weighing in on what they think about the surprise announcement to ban transgender people from serving in the military.

"How could this happen? He billed himself as the LGBTQ champion," said Jessica Fernandez, who is the president of Miami Young Republicans. "I think it goes against his promise to the LGBTQ community to be equal (and) to treat everybody equally."

The backlash from President Donald Trump's tweet about a transgender ban in the military has young conservative Republicans wondering why.

"The military is the single largest employer in the world of transgender folks," said Tony Lima, director of Safeguarding American Values For Everyone.

S.A.V.E., the oldest LGBTQ rights organization in the state of Florida, is ready to push back with rallies and legal challenges, but they said the president's polar opposite position was not completely unexpected.

"From the removing of the website content that spoke to LGBT civil rights on the official White House website, to the rescinding of protections for transgender students, to this -- virtually every month there has been something that has been negative toward the LGBTQ community," Lima said.

According to the Pentagon, there are nearly 4,000 transgendered members in the armed services -- people who will be profoundly affected by the policy should it be implemented.

Despite the announcement, Fernandez said she still supports Trump.

"We are really hoping that President Trump can turn this around, because this is very disappointing," she said.