BALIF is outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision today to allow the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members to go into effect temporarily while the cases against it proceed in the lower courts.  In a separate order, the Supreme Court today denied the Trump administration’s request that it hear legal challenges to the ban this term. 

The Supreme Court is acting as an enabler of the Trump administration, supporting the President’s cruel and outrageous preoccupation with clearing the military of brave, honorable, patriotic and hard-working service members simply because of their gender identity.  By refusing to treat members and forcing transgender service members to hide when they suffer from gender dysphoria, this administration and the Supreme Court are putting transgender service members at serious risk for an array of serious medical symptoms. The consequences of not providing medically necessary treatment to some transgender service members who need it will no doubt have grave consequences.

Plaintiffs challenging the ban are transgender men and women serving in all branches of the military, service academy and ROTC members, as well as individuals seeking to enlist.  Some of the Plaintiffs include individuals who have completed multiple deployments overseas. 

Before Trump ordered the ban, transgender people served openly under a policy that has now been in place for more than two and a half years.  President Trump attempted to put an end to that starting with a Tweet in July 2017, without consultation with military leadership. 

BALIF supports our transgender members of the armed forces.  It is BALIF’s hope that the ban will not survive judicial scrutiny as it progresses in the courts below and eventually to the Supreme Court.