New in 2021: The transgender ban, diversity initiatives and toxic chemical research what will become of these Trump-era policies? December 27, 2020 Nick Rondoletto, left, and Doug Thorogood, a couple from San Francisco, wave a rainbow flag and hold a sign against a proposed ban of transgender people in the military at a 2017 protest in San Francisco. (Olga R. Rodriguez/AP) While the last four years will be remembered for the turmoil they wreaked on the Defense Department, there are a handful of initiatives championed by Trump administration defense secretaries that could see some changes under a Biden administration. Among those are the ban on transgender service members, announced in 2017 and enacted in 2019, as well as efforts to study and mitigate the effects of toxic “forever” chemicals on military installations and steps toward stronger diversity and inclusion policies within the military.