Quotes
It slams the door on qualified patriots who meet every standard and want nothing more than to serve their country, simply to appease a political agenda,
Jennifer Levi, an attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, said in a written statement
It has been my dream and my goal to serve my country for as long as I can remember,
Talbott said in a written statementWe have been here before and seven years ago were able to successfully block the earlier administration’s effort to prevent patriotic, talented Americans from serving their country,
Lambda Legal Counsel Sasha Buchert said
President Trump’s repeated targeting of transgender service members is a stain on our military, one that strikes at the very heart of military standards and core American values,
according to Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which filed the lawsuit with GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders on behalf of the six service membersThe readiness and physical capabilities of transgender service members is not different from that of other service members,
SPARTA saidTransgender Americans have served openly and honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces for nearly a decade,
said SPARTA Pride, which represents trans Americans in the militaryLeft unchecked it could have ripples across all sectors of society,
Minter saidWere the prohibition on military service by transgender individuals to be implemented, Lieutenant Talbott would lose the career he has spent years of his life fighting to join, after finally earning his commission, and would be unable to continue to serve the United States people as a member of the military,
according to the complaintThousands of transgender troops are currently serving, and are fully qualified for the positions in which they serve,
filling critical roles in combat arms, aviation, nuclear engineering, law enforcement, and military intelligence, among other fields, the group shared in a statement with The IndependentAdditionally, Lieutenant Talbott would lose his income and access to benefits afforded to military members and their families,
the lawsuit statesExpressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,
according to Trump’s orderI’ve been military my entire life. I was born on a military base,
said Navy Ensign Dan Danridge, student flight officer, a plaintiff in the suit
This ban betrays fundamental American values of equal opportunity and judging people on their merit,
Jennifer Levi, the senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), said in a statement
When you put on the uniform, differences fall away and what matters is your ability to do the job,
Talbott said in a statementPresident Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military discriminates against Plaintiffs based on their sex and based on their transgender status, without lawful justification, in violation of the Equal Protection component of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment,
Tuesday's lawsuit states
President Trump's Executive Order is an insult to the bravery and service of transgender servicemembers,
Senator Andy Kim said
How can we have a military that protects all Americans if it doesn't recognize and respect all Americans?"
he addedIn fact, there is considerable evidence that it is the discharge and banning of such individuals that would have such effects,
the judge added
The lack of any justification for the abrupt policy change, combined with the discriminatory impact to a group of our military service members who have served our country capably and honorably, cannot possibly constitute a legitimate governmental interest,
Judge Marvin Garbis wrote in a ruling blocking the banThese are people who devoted their lives to serving our nation. They’re highly accomplished, highly trained. They have been in the military for a long time,
Minter said