District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
A federal court in Washington has blocked President Donald Trump changing the governmental policy to bar transgender individuals from serving in the military, according to an Associated Press report published by Time.com.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote today (Monday, Oct. 30) that transgender members of the military who had sued over the change were likely to win their lawsuit and barred the Trump administration from banning them from the military.
Trump announced his intention to change the policy, established by President Obama in 2016, that would allowed trans people to serve openly. Even military leaders balked at the idea of the ban.
In her ruling, Kollar-Kotelly wrote, “There is absolutely no support for the claim that the ongoing service of transgender people would have any negative effect on the military at all. In fact, there is considerable evidence that it is the discharge and banning of such individuals that would have such effects.”
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), co-counsel in the case, issued the following statement:
“This is a complete victory for our plaintiffs and all transgender service members, who are now once again able to serve on equal terms and without the threat of being discharged,” said Shannon Minter, NCLR’s legal director. “We are grateful to the court for recognizing the gravity of these issues and putting a stop to this dangerous policy, which has wreaked havoc in the lives of transgender service members and their families.”
“This court saw straight through the smokescreen the government tried to create to hide the bias and prejudice behind Trump’s change in military policy. This clear, powerful ruling confirms that there is no legitimate reason to exclude transgender people from military service,” said Jennifer Levi, Director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project.
