On Wednesday, five Transgender Military Personnel sued President Trump over his proposed ban on transgender service members in the United States armed forces. Each of the five is currently active duty in the military, and at least two are veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. All five have come out as transgender to their commanding officers, but have chosen to remain anonymous during the trial to protect their identities and their families. The group is made up of three soldiers in the U.S. Army, one airman in the U.S. Air Force, and one member of the U.S.
Coast Guard.
Who's involved?
The five are filing the lawsuit along with GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Reuters reports that the American Civil Liberties Union is preparing a lawsuit of its own to challenge Trump’s proposed Ban.
The lawsuit
Wednesday’s lawsuit posits that Trump’s tweet announcing the ban are a violation of the due process and equal protection clauses of the Bill of Rights. The lawsuit asks that the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. declare the proposed ban unconstitutional and issue a ruling to stop any efforts to make Trump’s proposal a reality.
Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, released a memo the day after Trump's tweets stating that military policy surrounding transgender service members would remain in place until Defense Secretary James Mattis received an official directive from Trump.
Dunford ended his memo by reiterating that all transgender members of the military would continue to be treated with respect until the president’s directive was received. The directive has not yet been received, but both Dunford and Mattis are being sued, along with the president.
Jennifer Levi, the lawyer from GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders who is heading the lawsuit, stated that the five plaintiffs and other transgender service members like them are already in danger, even without Trump’s proposal becoming law.
The futures of transgender service members and their families, Levi claimed, were already uncertain because of President Trump’s tweets.
The proposed ban has already faced immense backlash from corporations, celebrities, and politicians. Google, Facebook, and Apple have all come forward to voice disapproval for the ban. Transgender celebrity and advocate Caitlyn Jenner has denounced the ban on social media. Republican senator, veteran, and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain, made his disagreement with Trump’s ban known shortly after the announcement appeared.