Erin Reed
1. Trans troops are now being separated from their jobs, and we have learned what discharge code they are being given: "JDK," a code that was used to remove communists and gay people, and can be seen as a "black mark" on their service. The latest from S. Baum. Subscribe to support our journalism.

Trans Troops Given A Black Mar...
Trans Troops Given A Black Mark Discharge Code Under Military Ban

“This is the kind of code that they gave to homosexuals and communists in the '50s.”

Erin In The Morning
Jun 13, 2025 at 9:08pmWeb
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
2. While some were eligible for “separation pay” if they left “voluntarily,” this doesn’t apply across the board. And the kicker is that trans service members under the Trump Administration are being branded with a scarlet letter, or three: “JDK.”
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
3. It stands for “Juliet Delta Kilo,” a discharge code labelling someone a liability to national security. The designation shows up on job applications and government forms; it impacts a person’s ability to get jobs with a security clearance or even immigrate.

Transgender Troops Face Tough ...
Transgender Troops Face Tough Choice As Deadline Looms

Active-duty transgender troops have until June 6 to self-identify and begin the voluntary separation process, or be involuntarily kicked out.

Air & Space Forces Magazine
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
4. “This is the kind of code that they gave to homosexuals and communists in the '50s,” Alex said. “This is what you would give to people who have mishandled classified material or have made statements that make the government say, ‘We cannot trust this person to be anywhere near anything of value.”
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
5. More recently, it’s been applied to queer people under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, as per CBS. www.cbsnews.com/news/army-tr...

Army document outlines plans f...
Army document outlines plans for expelling transgender troops from military

Army guidelines instruct commanders and soldiers on interacting with and identifying service members with gender dysphoria as they leave the military.

Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
6. “When you say that [trans] people are not worthy of being in the military, even if they can do the job, that makes them ‘less’ in the eyes of the law,” Alex said. “And when we are ‘less’ in the eyes of the law, they can do anything they want to us.”
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
7. The conservative bloc of the Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s order to pause the trans ban as the legal situation unfolds. And thus, separations have begun. www.scotusblog.com/2025/05/supr...

Supreme Court allows Trump to ...
Supreme Court allows Trump to ban transgender people from military

The Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon cleared the way for the Trump administration to enforce a Department of Defense policy prohibiting transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. With […]

SCOTUSblog
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
8. The weaponization of the “JDK” code is merely the latest in Trump’s attempts to disenfranchise trans people from all public life. “This was plunging the knife and twisting it to ensure that trans people would have no role in government ever again,” Alex said.
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
9. This Pride Month, as companies like Coca-Cola and Walmart trade in their rainbow parade floats for a coveted spot sponsoring Trump’s war procession, trans Americans are waiting with baited breath to see how the battle on the military front plays out. It could have dire implications for us all.
Show threadErin ReedJun 13, 2025
10. Lastly, EITM is an award media outlet covering LGBTQ+ news everyday. You can subscribe to support our journalism at www.erininthemorning.com/subscribe. You can find writer S. Baum at @transvestigations.bsky.social

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Show threadPhil Thane ✅Jun 14, 2025
@erininthemorning.com
I saw a toot explaining JDK 'means' Juliet Delta Kilo, but that's just NATO alphabet. What does it 'really' mean?
Show threadLRJun 15, 2025
@erininthemorning.com Java Development Kit