Transgender Military Advances

While the whole country is focused on Alabama a Federal District Court in D.C. rejected the Trump Administration’s request for a partial stay in the case Doe V. Trump a challenge to Trump policy brought forward by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) & GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly stated in her ruling, “In sum, having carefully considered all of the evidence before it, the Court is not persuaded that Defendants will be irreparably injured by allowing the accession of transgender individuals into the military beginning on January 1, 2018.” The Defense Department then affirmed, “As required by recent federal district court orders, the Department of Defense recently announced it will begin processing transgender applicants for military service on January 1, 2018. This policy will be implemented while the Department of Justice appeals those court orders.” So unless the Supreme Court weighs in on the case the military must now allow transgender enlistment starting on January 1st 2018. Sarah Kate Ellis, President & CEO of GLAAD concluded, "Today's legal victory is the latest step towards preventing Trump's bigoted trans military ban from ever going into full effect. The Trump administration is struggling to provide any evidence that open trans enlistment be must be delayed because none exists beyond their own hate-fueled anti-LGBTQ agenda."
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