Two national LGBTQ+ organizations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender service members.
The suit was filed on behalf of six active-duty trans service members and two trans people who planned to enlist, according to a report from NBC News. GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia one day after after Trump signed the executive order.
“This ban betrays fundamental American values of equal opportunity and judging people on their merit,” Jennifer Levi, the senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), said in a statement. “It slams the door on qualified patriots who meet every standard and want nothing more than to serve their country, simply to appease a political agenda. That’s not just un-American, it makes our country weaker by pushing away talented service members who put their lives on the line every day for our nation.”
Trump banned transgender Americans from serving in the military in 2017 during his first administration, but that ban was repealed by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
An administration official told CNN that the new ban outlines standards regarding gender pronouns and states that mental and physical readiness requires transgender service members to be banned from the military.
CNN said exceptions to the ban were made during Trump’s first term, but it was unclear if similar exceptions would be included in the new ban. The exceptions in 2017 included transgender service members already serving in uniform who had joined the military under previous policies; those who do not require a change in gender; and those who had been “stable for 36 consecutive months in their biological sex prior to accession.”
Another executive order signed by Trump bans “discriminatory” policies related to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). The order comes after the Trump administration ordered employees in any federal DEI offices to be placed on immediate paid administrative leave.
Additional executive orders related to military operations include reinstating all active and reserve service members discharged for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the order, they will be reinstated to their former rank and given back pay and benefits.
Another executive order calls for the creation of an “Iron Dome,” a missile defense system similar to the one used in Israel.
