Supreme Court Permits Trump Administration to Enforce Transgender Military Ban
WASHINGTON — Today, the US Supreme Court granted the Trump Administration’s request to begin implementing its discriminatory and pernicious ban of military service by transgender people, calling into question the honorable service of thousands of troops and putting our military readiness on the line. An estimated 15,000 transgender people currently serve in the military and the Supreme Court’s actions today places all of their careers in jeopardy. In response to the decision of the Supreme Court, David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), released the following statement:
“The Supreme Court’s radical actions in lifting the injunction on the 45th Administration’s discriminatory, dangerous, and deleterious ban excluding transgender people from serving openly in our armed forces is a slap in the face to all who choose to serve in our voluntary military and it is a direct attack on transgender Americans. This is not about national security; this is about perpetuating fear, which diminishes our ability to develop the strongest, most innovative military possible to protect the American people.
“Furthermore, both current and retired senior leaders across all four military branches have decried the current Administration’s ban, recognizing that the service of transgender people benefits the military and had no negative impact on unit cohesion or morale.
“For Black America, this move to ban transgender service members is personal as we know that the military has created pathways of mobility. With Black communities disproportionately impacted by unemployment, homelessness, and wage gaps, the opportunity for transgender people to serve in the military is essential to unlocking the door to the American dream. Any chance for a Black person to have a job, a livable wage, housing, educational opportunities, and to give back to their country via service in the military is a victory for our nation and especially for the entire Black community.
“When our federal government openly discriminates by preventing any Americans from military service we should all be concerned. Military service restrictions are beyond illogical: they are immoral. We are better than this.”
