In a significant victory for the LGBTQ+ community, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s policy that would have expelled transgender individuals from serving in the military. The policy, which was announced by President Trump via Twitter in 2017, sought to ban transgender individuals from serving openly in the military and would have required currently serving transgender troops to either serve in their birth gender or be discharged.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the policy is likely unconstitutional and issued a preliminary injunction to halt its implementation. In her ruling, Judge Kollar-Kotelly cited a lack of evidence to support the government’s claims that allowing transgender individuals to serve openly would harm military readiness and unit cohesion.
The decision is a major blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back protections for transgender individuals in the military. Since taking office, President Trump has sought to reverse the Obama-era policy that allowed transgender individuals to serve openly and receive medical treatment for gender dysphoria. In addition to the ban on transgender troops, the administration has also sought to restrict access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender individuals in the military.
The ruling has been welcomed by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and civil rights organizations, who have long argued that transgender individuals should be allowed to serve openly in the military. In a statement, the ACLU, which brought the lawsuit challenging the policy, praised the decision as a victory for equality and justice.
While the legal battle over the policy is far from over, the ruling is a positive step towards ensuring that transgender individuals are able to serve openly and without fear of discrimination in the military. It sends a powerful message that discrimination against transgender individuals has no place in our armed forces and that all Americans, regardless of their gender identity, deserve the right to serve their country with honor and dignity.
