The efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump to prevent transgenders from entering the U.S. military have now been shattered, with a federal judge, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, deciding to retain the opportunity of transgenders to serve in the military. This will take effect on Jan. 1, 2018.
Kollar-Kotelly wrote, "Those policies allowed for the accession of transgender individuals into the military beginning on January 1, 2018." The statement emphasized, "Any action by any of the Defendants that changes this status quo is preliminarily enjoined."
After Trump's firm announcement on not accepting transgenders in any position in the U.S. military on Twitter last July, he commanded the Defense Department to create a memo banning transgenders within a six-month period. This decision created mixed opinions and made some of his rivals furious. Trump's arguments revolve around creating a decisive workforce in the U.S. military, which could be pulled down by medical expenses and any untoward circumstances that transgenders could cause the Defense Department.
Trump's ban will end in March 2018. However, now that a court decision has been made in favor of transgenders entering the U.S. military, this might be the end of his memo. However, they can still appeal to the court for reconsideration.
Attorney Joshua Block from American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the service members who filed the lawsuit against Trump's transgender ban in the U.S. military, was overjoyed with the judicial decision. He stated last November, as reported by Reuters, "We're pleased that the courts have stepped in to ensure that trans service members are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve."
Not everyone is in favor of the court ruling, though. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins pointed out in a statement last October, "This is where judicial activism is leading us. The courts have moved beyond legislating on the invented rights of abortion and same-sex marriage to clearly usurping the constitutional authority of the executive branch."
Perkins also called out the courts for getting in the way of the president's immigration policies that have been put in place to safeguard the country and for "telling the commander-in-chief how to run the military."
