ACLU sues Trump over transgender military banAP, Aug 28, 2017, RANDALL CHASE
The American Civil Liberties Union sued President Donald Trump on Monday seeking to prevent implementation of his ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, saying the order violates their rights to equal protection and due process.
The federal lawsuit was filed in Baltimore by the ACLU of Maryland on behalf of six transgender individuals currently serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and Naval Reserve.
“President Trump’s actions immediately caused the individual plaintiffs and other transgender service members to fear for their careers, the well-being of their family members and dependents, their health care and, in some cases, their safety,” the lawsuit states.
Trump directed the Pentagon on Friday to implement a ban on transgender individuals from enlisting in or continuing to serve in the military, which he first announced in a tweet.
The ban, which would take effect next year, also orders a halt to the use of Defense Department resources to fund sex-reassignment surgeries for military personnel, except if needed to protect the health of an individual who already has begun a course of sex-reassignment treatment.
“Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,” Trump tweeted.
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