The Supreme Court recently voted in favor of President Donald Trump’s bigoted and disrespectful ban on transgender individuals from serving in our military, paving the way for more hate to thrive in our society.

America loves to take pride in being a nation full of opportunities and being the land of the free, yet our current administration is stripping Americans of their rights everyday. How can we tell people who are willing to die for our country that they can’t because of their gender identity?

My heart broke seeing the Supreme Court support this ban because one of my best friends is trans. I have been there to see him transition, and I have seen the hardships that come with it. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest people I know and not only deserves the world, but the exact same rights as any cisgender person receives without question.

Trump tweeted in 2017 claiming the ban will relieve the military of medical costs for trans people, but only about 0.5 percent of our military are trans, and just 2 percent of them will seek medical assistance, according to Forbes. An individual would only require medical assistance while transitioning, and the vast majority have fully transitioned before entering the military. Furthermore, the military spends 10 times more on erectile dysfunction medication than what is spent on related medical costs for trans people, according to The Washington Post. Medical costs only serve as Trump’s sad excuse to hide behind, but his transphobia remains blatantly obvious.

This decision is a slap in the face for any young trans person trying to find a place in this world. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 29.9 percent of transgender females and 41.8 percent of transgender males have attempted suicide as an adolescent. The struggles of transitioning are painful enough, and now our own administration is making trans people well aware that they aren’t respected or valued in our country.

2017 had the highest number of fatal hate crimes against trans people and 2018 was a close second, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Banning trans people from serving in our military opens the door for transphobia to become a societal norm and for these frightening acts of hatred to persist.

Our society will never progress with hate at the forefront of who we are. It astounds me that we allow ourselves to be known as a country that is incapable of accepting people for who they are, when we just as easily can be known as a country that respects each other and allows for people to be their authentic selves. Choosing to love each other is the bottom line.