A Washington judge has blocked the enforcement of US President Donald Trump’s military ban on transgender individuals, marking the second nationwide order against the policy in recent times, reported AP.
The case was fired in the US District Court by several long-serving transgender military members who called the ban insulting and discriminatory. They also claimed that the ban would damage their careers and reputations.
The 65-page ruling stated that the Trump administration has not given any explanation for why transgender individuals who have served the military for the last four to five years without any issues are banned suddenly.
What did the US Court Judge say?
“The government’s arguments are not persuasive, and it is not an especially close question on this record,” the report quoted US district court judge Benjamin Settle.
“The government’s unrelenting reliance on deference to military judgment is unjustified in the absence of any evidence supporting the military’s new judgment reflected in the Military Ban,” he added.
Previous rulings
Last week, US District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington issued an order blocking the transgender policy. However, the order was temporarily held on hold due to the government’s appeal.
The US Circuit Court of Appeals in Columbia said that ruling would come into effect if “any action occurs that negatively impacts” transgender service members.
In another limited ruling on Monday, a New Jersey judge stopped the Air Force from removing two transgender men, stating that it would severely impact their careers.
Trump’s ban on transgenders from military service
On January 27, Trump signed an executive order claiming the sexual identity of transgender members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honourable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”
As a response to this order, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy that disqualifies transgender people from the military.
“They can do the right number of pullups. They can do the right amount of pushups. They can shoot straight. “Yet, they’re being told they have to leave the military simply because of who they are,” the report quoted Sasha Buchert, an attorney with the civil rights law firm Lambda Legal.
In the US, thousands of transgenders individuals serve the military but they constitute only 1% of the total military force. Defence Department policy allowed transgender people to serve military in 2016. Donald Trump, during his first term in the White House, issued an order to ban transgender service members, with the exception of those who had already started transitioning under more lenient rules that were in effect during the Obama administration.
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