FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Lauren Gray, Communications Director
lgray@nclrights.org / (215) 983-3099
White House Transgender Military Ban Sacrifices National Security to Promote Baseless Discrimination
NCLR says “this is not who we want to become: a country so committed to baseless discrimination that we are willing to sacrifice even our national security”
(WASHINGTON, DC, August 24, 2017)—Sources report that the White House is preparing to issue formal guidance to the Pentagon calling for implementation of the transgender military ban within six months. Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), which together with GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) filed a federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s attempt to reinstate a transgender military ban, issued the following statement in response:
“The President’s willingness to attack his own troops is unprecedented and poses a serious threat to our nation’s longstanding commitment to honor those who serve and to prioritize military readiness over politics.
This ban needlessly takes aim at our courageous transgender servicemembers. This is not who we want to become: a country so committed to baseless discrimination that we are willing to sacrifice even our national security.”
The complaint in Doe v. Trump, NCLR and GLAD’s federal challenge to President Trump’s transgender military ban, can be viewed here. The lawsuit rests on claims of equal protection, due process and estoppel, based on the inequity of the reversal of military policy after thousands of service members followed protocol and informed their chain of command that they are transgender. In addition to NCLR and GLAD, the plaintiffs in Doe v. Trump are represented by lawyers from Foley, Hoag LLP and WilmerHale.
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The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. www.NCLRights.org