A pair of LGBTQ rights organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over President Donald Trump's new ban on transgender Americans serving in the military. The lawsuit, initiated by GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, represents six transgender service members and two transgender individuals seeking to enlist.
The legal action is anticipated to spark a high-profile legal battle over the ban, which Trump managed to implement during his first term despite initial court setbacks. The attorneys for the eight plaintiffs argue in the 28-page lawsuit that the ban is not based on any legitimate governmental purpose but rather reflects animosity towards transgender individuals due to their transgender status.
The lawsuit contends that the ban violates the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs and requests the court to overturn the ban and issue an order prohibiting the categorical exclusion of transgender individuals from military service.
Although district courts across the country had temporarily blocked Trump's ban on transgender service members in four separate challenges during his first term, the Supreme Court in January 2019 allowed the prohibition to be enforced while the legal battles unfolded.
According to Jennifer Levi, an attorney with GLAD Law, the ban goes against fundamental American values of equal opportunity and merit-based judgment. Levi stated, '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.'
