Equality California, Transgender Military Ban Lawsuit Plaintiff, Responds to Administration's Unlawful Plan to Implement Ban in Defiance of Nationwide Injunction

Executive Director Rick Zbur: "The 15,000 transgender Americans risking their lives for our country deserve better. Our nation deserves better."

WASHINGTON - March 12, 2019 - Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization and the organizational plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the ban on transgender military service (Stockman v. Trump), released the following statement from Executive Director Rick Zbur in response to the Department of Defense's release today of guidelines for implementing the ban, which would take effect April 12:

"It is as absurd and offensive as it is unlawful that the Trump-Pence Administration now intends to violate both the U.S. Constitution and a federal court order just to purge thousands of brave and honorable service members from our armed forces. In a dangerous world, the president is once again putting politics ahead of national security and military readiness. The 15,000 transgender Americans risking their lives for our country deserve better. Our nation deserves better.

"Equality California will continue to fight in the courtroom and in the halls of Congress to defeat this unpatriotic and irrational ban until it is relegated to the dustbin of history where it belongs."

Today's announcement disregards the injunction issued by a federal district court in Doe v. Trump, another lawsuit challenging the ban, which remains in effect. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion on January 4 vacating that injunction. Importantly, however, the Court held that its decision would not become final until plaintiffs have an opportunity to seek rehearing by the entire D.C. Circuit, and until any such petition for rehearing is resolved. Therefore, any action by the Administration to enforce the ban before the order vacating the injunction becomes final is in violation of a federal court order.

Equality California is the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org