The ACLU Is Suing President Trump Over His Ban On Transgender Troops In The Military

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On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union announced that it was suing President Trump over his ban on transgender people serving in the military. “BREAKING: We’re taking @realDonaldTrump to court to challenge the unconstitutional transgender military ban,” they tweeted.

President Trump, who claimed to have consulted “generals and military experts” when originally announcing the ban, was quickly sued by five active duty transgender military service people over the ban, who argued the ban violated their Constitutional rights.

The ACLU’s complaint, filed on behalf of six transgender military service members, features Trump’s tweets and argues that the ban violates the plaintiffs’ Fifth Amendment rights.

“The Trump administration has provided no evidence that this announcement was based on any analysis of the actual cost and disruption allegedly caused by allowing men and women who are transgender to serve openly,” the complaint reads.

“News reports indicate the Secretary of Defense and other military officials were surprised by President Trump’s announcement, and that his actual motivations were purely political, reflecting a desire to accommodate legislators and advisers who bear animus and moral disproval toward men and women who are transgender, with a goal of gaining votes for a spending bill that included money to build a border wall with Mexico.”

LGBT rights groups Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN announced on Monday that they are also suing President Trump over the ban.

“Thousands of current service members are transgender, and many have been serving openly, courageously and successfully in the U.S. military for more than a year—not to mention the previous decades when many were forced to serve in silence,” Peter Renn, Lambda Legal’s senior attorney, said.

(Via The Hill)

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