Six transgender members of the military have sued President Trump over his executive order banning trans people from serving.
The suit – filed in Washington, DC, federal court Tuesday by six current service members and two transgender people seeking to enlist – comes a day after Trump signed an order claiming transgender people’s sexuality “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle” and hurts military preparedness.
The plaintiffs say the order is unconstitutional and are all seeking an emergency ruling to block it from being enforced so they can continue to pursue military careers.
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They say Trump issued the “categorical ban” without conducting a study on the effectiveness of the service of trans people and without seeing if there were other less drastic options.
“Rather than being based on any legitimate governmental purpose, the ban reflects animosity toward transgender people because of their transgender status,” the suit charges.
The plaintiffs — including members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Army Reserves — have earned various service medals and awards, such as the Sailor of the Year honor and a Bronze Star, the filing says.
The group -—composed of Army Reserves Lt. Nicolas Talbott, Army Major Erica Vandal, Army Sgt. First Class Kate Cole, Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, Navy Ensign Dany Danridge, Air Force Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, Koda Nature and Cael Neary — claims Trump’s new order will unfairly halt their military aspirations and careers, including for Cole who’s been in the Army for 17 years.
Cole noted she’d been in the Army for “more than half my life” including when she served in combat in Afghanistan.
“Removing qualified transgender soldiers like me means an exodus of experienced personnel,” Cole said.
Herrero fired back at Trump’s order in a statement Monday saying, “There’s nothing about being transgender that makes me better or worse than any other soldier I serve alongside.”
“We are all here because we are committed to our country, and we are passionate, willing, and able to serve effectively,” Herrero added.
Lawyers from the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) brought the suit on behalf of the plaintiffs and are the same groups who fought the military ban on trans people during Trump’s first term in office. Former President Joe Biden did away with the ban when he took office.
“The law is very clear that the government can’t base policies on disapproval of particular groups of people,” Shannon Minter, of the NCLR, said. “That’s animus. And animus-based laws are presumed to be invalid and unconstitutional.”
Source : https://nypost.com/2025/01/28/us-news/transgender-service-members-sue-trump-over-his-military-ban/
