Today’s Action: Tell Congress to pass legislation to protect transgender troops

Last week, the right-leaning Supreme Court allowed Trump’s ban on transgender military personnel to go into effect without making an official ruling. Although the appeals against it will still make their way up through the lower courts, most transgender persons are now affected and disqualified from entering military service.

This oppressive move reverses Obama’s historic decision in 2016 to allow transgender troops to serve openly, and marks a year since transgender persons have been able to enlist. It also means that thousands of current transgender service members will be discharged, their careers decimated, even as the appeals continue their progress.

Call or email your Members of Congress, and demand they pass laws that proactively protect transgender people and their right to military service. Tell them it’s critical that we stand strong for the trans community while their president is on the attack.

Trump’s ban is unjustified on all grounds, nothing more than a deeply harmful party favor to the right-wing. A 2016 RAND Corporation study found that transgender troops “have minimal impact on readiness and health care costs.” Even Trump’s lawyers and the chiefs of staff of all four military branches have found no measurable negative impact from the inclusion of transgender service members. In fact, the military spends 10 times more on E.D. medication than it does on the grand total of projected transgender health costs.

There are 2000-11,000 transgender troops serving in the military, and they do so with courage and valor. They deserve to be treated equally, not with discrimination and shaming by their own government.

Email or call (202.224.3121) your Members of Congress and tell them to fight back against Trump’s ban on transgender troops by passing legislation that gives further protection to trans people and allows non-discriminatory military service. We must refuse to tolerate intolerance.