Palm Center Statement on Court Ruling Denying Trump Administration's Request to Delay Transgender Enlistment

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - December 11, 2017 – Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, released the following statement in reaction to today's court ruling denying the Trump Administration's request to delay transgender enlistment in the military:

"Today's announcement that the US military will accept transgender applicants as of January 1, 2018 reflects a simple reality:  military and civil servants in the Pentagon have been preparing for accession for transgender Americans for more than two years. That is longer than the preparation the military had for repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and accession of openly gay Americans. While the White House has claimed that an order to follow the military's own plan for accession would impose 'extraordinary burdens,' numerous professionals involved in that process (including a former Acting Under Secretary of Defense and three former Service Secretaries) and more than half a dozen current and former military professors have spoken out to say that the military is ready. The Pentagon's extensive study and preparation already occurred. That preparation and study includes a comprehensive study of transgender service by DOD, the adoption by DOD of fully inclusive policy, and the promulgation of numerous specific standards for transgender applicants. This step reflects that judgment, and the Pentagon is following good order and its own internal processes -- as well as respecting the judgment of the courts."

Read the statement by Military Professors and policy memo about troop readiness

Read the statement by Eric Fanning

Read the statement by Brad Carson

About The Palm Center

The Palm Center is an independent research institute committed to sponsoring state-of-the-art scholarship to enhance the quality of public dialogue about critical and controversial issues of the day. Our research has been published in leading social science journals and extensively consulted and cited by US military leaders. The Palm Center seeks to be a resource for scholars, policymakers, journalists, opinion leaders, students and the public at large. For more information, visit us at www.palmcenter.org.