Lawsuit opposing trans military ban is filed

The National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBT Legal Advocates and Defenders have joined Equality California in Stockman v. Trump, a lawsuit challenging the president’s recent trans ban.
“I was in eighth grade when I first told my mother I dreamed of joining the military,” 20 year-old plaintiff Aiden Stockman said. “Right now, I work at a grocery store for minimum wage, and my store is shutting down. I live paycheck to paycheck. If the ban were lifted today, I would go to a recruiter to discuss enlisting in the Air Force as soon as I could. Transgender individuals are just as qualified and capable to serve our country as any of our peers and many of us are eager to do so.”
The three organizations today, Oct. 2, also filed a motion for preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for Central California to immediately stop the ban and prevent “further irreparable harm” to transgender Americans who are currently serving in the military or have been barred from enlisting. GLAD and NCLR previously filed a motion for preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Doe v. Trump, the first of four lawsuits across the country filed against the Trump Administration’s transgender military ban.
“The President’s reckless ban is harming transgender troops in communities all across the country,” said Shannon Minter, NCLR’s Legal Director. “Despite their dedicated service, the President has thrown the lives of thousands of military servicemembers and their families into chaos, devastating their livelihoods and dreams, and harming our country. We must use every tool in our power to fight this ban immediately, here in California and throughout the country.”
Nicolas Talbott, 23, another plaintiff in the case said, “When I read President Trump’s tweets, my heart sank. I feared that I would never be permitted to fulfill my longtime dream of military service. Small towns like Lisbon, Ohio—where I live—do not have many job opportunities. I am actively searching for a job where I can support myself and my grandmother who is unwell. Enlisting in the military provides a stable job, steady income, health benefits, and the pride of serving my country. If the ban were lifted today, I would immediately enlist in the United States military. No one could be more dedicated and committed to wanting to serve.”
Also today, former top military leaders from across multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces filed declarations in support of the motion for preliminary injunction that underscore how strongly the military community opposes the ban. Their statements charge the ban seriously harms transgender service members and their families and puts national security at risk.
The leaders filing declarations of support include retired Admiral Michael Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; former U.S. Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning; former Secretary of the Navy Raymond Edwin Mabus, Jr; former Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James; former Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Brad Rogers Carson; and former Deputy Surgeon General for Mobilization, Readiness, and Army Reserve Affairs Margaret Chamberlain Wilmoth. Fanning will speak at this year’s Black Tie Dinner in Dallas in November.