The Boston-based GLBTQ+ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) last week released the following statement of the executive order banning transgender people from military service:
Last night, in keeping with President Trump’s January 27 Executive Order, the Pentagon released a policy that is a complete ban on transgender military service, forcing out current service members and banning transgender people from enlisting.
The scope and severity of the ban are unprecedented. This is a complete purge of all transgender individuals from military service.
“This is a purge of unprecedented magnitude. There is nothing confusing or complicated about it. The military has 30 days to identify anyone it thinks is transgender, and the only way to avoid discharge is to prove you are not transgender. This is an unconscionable ban that forces the removal of talented service members who put their lives on the line for our nation and slams the door on qualified patriots who meet every standard and want nothing more than to serve their country,” said Jennifer Levi, GLAD Law’s senior director of transgender & queer rights.
We are challenging this ban for the thousands of transgender servicemembers and enlistees who meet and exceed the same rigorous military standards as others, and who put their lives on the line to serve their country.
More: glad.org
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