Trump Administration Faces Lawsuit over Transgender Military Ban

Washington, D.C. - October 18, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Trump Administration has moved to have one of four different lawsuits dismissed so far. ABC has reported that the "DOJ argues that because the policy has not been fully implemented and none of the plaintiffs 'face a current or imminent threat of injury during the interim period while the policy is being studied,' it should be dismissed."

The National Center for Transgender Equality and seven other transgender advocacy organizations have filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender service members.

Under the policy tweeted by President Trump in July and formalized in August, the Pentagon must develop a plan to begin purging transgender service members from the military by March 2018. The eight plaintiffs of Doe v. Trump allege that the ban violates their constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process.

NCTE argues in the brief that President Trump’s ban is the result of anti-transgender animus. Rather than being based on facts and legitimate government interests, the ban serves only to harm and disparage a vulnerable population for no reason other than who they are. The brief demonstrates that this attack on transgender people is part of a clear pattern of hostility and discrimination by the Trump administration, which has gone out of its way to dismantle civil rights protections for transgender people and promote anti-transgender bias and misinformation.

NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling issued the following statement:

NCTE is proud to support the plaintiffs in this case. They represent thousands of qualified service members who are set to be purged from the military simply because of who they are. President Trump’s efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military serves no legitimate purpose. Unfortunately, this is what we have come to expect from the Discrimination Administration. The President’s decision must not stand.

Related News:
Transgender military personnel sue Trump over service ban
Reuters
Five transgender members of the U.S. military including Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans sued President Donald Trump on Wednesday, challenging his ban on transgender people serving in the armed forces.
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