Half of Senate Opposes Transgender Military Ban

WASHINGTON — Fifty members of the Senate sent a letter today to the Department of Defense opposing President Trump’s directive to ban transgender service members from serving in the military. That directive has been blocked by federal courts in four separate cases, including the American Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit, Stone v. Trump.

Ian Thompson, legislative representative for the ACLU, had the following reaction:

“This bipartisan letter from half of the Senate is a powerful rebuke to President Trump’s discriminatory attempt to ban transgender people from the armed forces. The implementation plan is nothing more than transphobia masquerading as policy. Transgender people in our military deserve more from their government than a policy that coerces them into choosing between their humanity and their country and that tells them that they are not welcome. This letter makes clear that that support does exist, and it is strong on both sides of the aisle. The ACLU will continue to work with Democratic and Republican allies in Congress to vigorously oppose this reckless and unconstitutional policy.”