Happy New Year: Pentagon Will Officially Accept Transgender Military Recruits in 2018

‘As Mandated by Court Order’

Donald Trump’s administration has opted not to appeal the multiple rulings blocking the president’s discriminatory ban of transgender men and women enlisting in the United States military.

Just last week, three federal courts issued rulings against Trump’s attempt to ban transgender service members from enlisting, which had naturally stemmed from Twitter. The rulings came first from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and then from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Late Friday, multiple outlets reported that the president’s Department of Justice had withdrawn its legal challenge to the rulings, allowing enlistment.

“As mandated by court order, the Department of Defense is prepared to begin accessing transgender applicants for military service Jan. 1,” Pentagon spokeswoman Heather Babb released in a statement to Reuters. “All applicants must meet all accession standards.”

The outlet also provided commentary from a Department of Justice official:

“The Department of Defense has announced that it will be releasing an independent study of these issues in the coming weeks. So rather than litigate this interim appeal before that occurs, the administration has decided to wait for DOD’s study and will continue to defend the president’s lawful authority in District Court in the meantime,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In August, Donald Trump advised he had “great respect for the [transgender] community,” noting he was “doing a lot of people a favor by coming out and just” banning transgender military recruits. He has no respect for the transgender community, and his clearly discriminatory policy was a favor to no one.

NCRM stands with the transgender men and women willing to fight for this country—and wishes them the Happy New Year they so rightly deserve.

To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.

Photo via Twitter

If you find NCRM valuable, would you please consider making a donation to support our independent journalism?