Lambda Legal’s Peter Renn
On Friday, June 15, a federal court in Seattle denied another attempt by the Trump Administration to implement its discriminatory plan to ban transgender people from serving openly in the U.S. Armed Services.
The ruling in the lawsuit, brought by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN and joined by the state of Washington, denied the administration’s motion to stay the preliminary injunction the court had granted in December 2017, blocking implementation of the ban and enabling transgender people to enlist in the military for the first time starting Jan. 1.
U.S District Court Judge Marsha J. Pechman, quoting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson who testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee recently, wrote, “The status quo shall remain ‘steady as she goes,’ and the preliminary injunction shall remain in full force and effect nationwide.”
“Yet again, the Trump administration has tried to implement and expedite discrimination, and yet again, the court has said no,” said Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Peter Renn. “You would think the administration would get tired of all the losing, and more importantly, would read the writing on the wall and abandon this discriminatory and harmful scheme to prevent brave and qualified transgender people from serving their country.”
“Tomorrow, I will put on the uniform of U.S. Army and do my duty, as I did today and yesterday, and have done for more than 13 years,” Staff Sgt. Cathrine Schmid said. “Being transgender has no impact on my ability to perform my duties. I’m grateful that the court to date has recognized the value in our service, and I look forward to the day when we can put this argument behind us and focus on what’s really important — the accomplishment of our mission, and the welfare of our service members.”
“This decision has given hope to our transgender service members, their families, and other qualified individuals who simply want to serve our great nation,” said American Military Partner Association President Ashley Broadway-Mack. “There is only one word to describe the turmoil and fear the Trump-Pence administration is inflicting on the lives of these military families with this attempted ban — unconscionable.”
— From staff reports
