WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has challenged in court a ban announced by President Donald Trump on transgender personnel in US military.
Lawyers from ACLU filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on behalf of six serving transgender members of the armed forces.
A directive that Trump signed on August 25 bars enlistment by transgender individuals, prohibits coverage for certain critical medical procedures, and bans those currently in the military from serving. The Secretary of Defense was given discretion to determine how to carry out that ban.
The lawsuit argues that the ban violates the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and substantive due process by singling out trans-gender individuals for unequal and discriminatory treatment.
Every justification that the President offered in support of the ban has already been reviewed and debunked by the Department of Defense itself when it adopted a policy permitting military service by transgender individuals last year, the complainants argued.
They pointed out that barring trans-gender individuals from joining the military and discharging those who are already serving is exceedingly costly and undermines national security and military readiness.
The policy of ban on transgender people in US military was lifted by Barack Obama's administration last year.
In June 2016, after comprehensive review of the issue, the Department of Defense concluded that the ban served no legitimate purpose and that open service by transgender people would serve the military's best interests. Since that time, thousands of transgender service members have begun to serve openly. Between 4,000 and 10,000 US active-duty and reserve service members are believed to be transgender.
Earlier this month, five US service members who are transgenders had legally challenged the ban on military personnel who belong to the community.
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