A federal judge on Tuesday (March 18, 2025) briefly blocked the U.S. military from imposing President Donald Trump’s government order barring transgender folks from military service whereas a lawsuit by 20 present and would-be service members difficult the measure goes ahead.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington discovered that Mr. Trump’s January 27 order, one in every of a number of issued by the Republican President focusing on authorized rights for transgender Americans, seemingly violated the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on intercourse discrimination.
Ms. Reyes was appointed by President Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic predecessor.
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In response to Mr. Trump’s order, the military stated on February 11 that it could now not permit transgender people to hitch the military and would cease performing or facilitating procedures related to gender transition for service members. Later that month, the military stated it could start expelling transgender members.
Mr. Trump stated in his order that “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”
Mr. Trump issued an analogous order throughout his first time period, throughout which already-serving transgender members have been allowed to stay.
Plaintiffs within the lawsuit argued that the order was unlawful, pointing to a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that employment discrimination in opposition to transgender folks is a type of unlawful intercourse discrimination.
Lawyers for the federal government have argued in courtroom that the military is entitled to bar folks with sure situations that make them unsuitable for service, additionally together with bipolar dysfunction and consuming problems. At a March 12 listening to, they informed Reyes that she ought to defer to the judgment of the present administration that transgender individuals are not match for service.
The judge repeatedly pressed them to justify their stance with proof, and at occasions expressed open outrage on the order’s language denigrating the character of transgender folks.
The military has about 1.3 million active-duty personnel, Department of Defense knowledge reveals. While transgender rights advocates say there are as many as 15,000 transgender service members, officers say the quantity is within the low hundreds.
Published – March 19, 2025 05:12 am IST
