Thursday, September 14, 2017

ACLU Files Motion to Halt Military Trans Ban


From the ACLU -- For years, transgender individuals were barred from open military service based on outdated and outright incorrect views about what it means to be transgender. In 2016, after years of study and careful analysis, that ban on service was lifted, and a new policy allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in the Armed Forces was implemented.

But after a tweet from President Trump on July 26 and a subsequent directive signed on August 25, the Department of Defense was instructed by the president to reverse course and again ban transgender individuals from openly serving in the military. The directive also included banning coverage for medically necessary medical procedures and beginning a process of subjecting currently serving individuals to separation just for being transgender.

Trump’s decision was cruel. It was directly inconsistent with the studied opinion of military experts. It was and will be extremely costly. And it is illegal.

On August 28, the ACLU sued the president and the Department of Defense for violating the constitutional rights of transgender service members.

Today we are filing a motion for a preliminary injunction asking the court to put an immediate stop to the President’s ban to ensure that the harms to our clients and the thousands of other transgender individuals serving our country are rectified immediately.

See full story here.

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