LEGAL/LGBTQ/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A federal judge denied a renewed bid by the Trump administration to prevent transgender people from joining the U.S. military, ordering Monday [12-11-17] that such recruits be allowed to join beginning Jan. 1.
The military announced it would begin admitting transgender recruits in light of the latest order by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, which upholds an earlier ruling. But hours later, the Justice Department on Monday night filed an emergency request with an appeals court asking to keep the ban for now, leaving the issue in limbo as the New Year approaches.
While the Justice Department attempts further court intervention, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, said at a news briefing that the Pentagon is ‘preparing to implement a previous policy to remain in compliance’ with Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s order.
Advocates for open service praised the ruling, saying the Pentagon has had plenty of time to prepare to allow transgender individuals in the military. ‘Today’s announcement that the U.S. military will accept transgender applicants…reflects a simple reality: military and civil servants in the Pentagon have been preparing for accession for transgender Americans for more than two years,’ said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, a research and advocacy institution in San Francisco.”
-Gordon Lubold and Brent Kendall, “Transgender Recruits Can Enlist in Military, Judge Says,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 11, 2017 08:55pm