Transgender recruits will be able to join the U.S. military as of Jan. 1 after a federal judge on Monday denied a request by President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce his ban on transgender troops while the government appeals an order blocking it.
In a ruling, with which the Pentagon said it would comply, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington refused to lift part of her Oct. 30 order stopping the ban from taking effect until the case is resolved, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law.
The White House said the Justice Department was reviewing its options.
The Pentagon said in a statement that it would follow court orders and begin processing transgender applicants on Jan. 1.
It added, however, that it and the U.S. Department of Justice “are actively pursuing relief from those court orders in order to allow an ongoing policy review scheduled to be completed before the end of March.”
The administration had argued that the Jan. 1 deadline was problematic because tens of thousands of personnel would have to be trained on the medical standards needed to process transgender applicants, and the military was not ready for that.
Kollar-Kotelly rejected the concerns, saying preparations for accepting transgender troops were under way during the administration of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.
“The directive from the Secretary of Defense requiring the military to prepare to begin allowing accession of transgender individuals was issued on June 30, 2016 – nearly one and a half years ago,” the judge said.
Several transgender service members filed a lawsuit after Trump said in July he would ban transgender people from the military, citing concern over military focus and medical costs.
In an August memorandum, Trump gave the military until March 2018 to revert to a policy prohibiting openly transgender individuals from joining the military and authorizing their discharge. The memo also halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgery for active-duty personnel.
Defense Secretary James Mattis had previously delayed a deadline that had been set during the Obama administration to begin enlisting transgender recruits to Jan. 1, which Trump’s ban then put off indefinitely.
PENTAGON GUIDELINES
The Pentagon said on Monday there were a number of guidelines that would have to be met by the applicants.
It said that sex reassignment or genital reconstruction would be disqualifying factors unless a medical provider certified that a period of 18 months had passed since the most recent surgery, no complications persisted and additional surgeries are not required.
In her October ruling, Kollar-Kotelly said the Trump administration’s reasons for the ban “do not appear to be supported by any facts” and cited a military-commissioned study that debunked concerns about military cohesion or healthcare costs.
A federal judge in Maryland also halted the ban in Nov. 21 ruling.
I wonder now if Israel is going to continue to rely on US troops doing their dirty work for them….
This is great news.
I can finally get a job.
All I have to do is cut off my penis by Jan 1st.
Then join the military.
I guess that will be my first new years resolution.
Let’s. ..see.. resolutions…2018.
1.) Cut off penis.
2.) Drink smoke pot.
3.) Dial 911 saying I cut off my penis and I lost my keys.
4.) Contact Army recruiter from ICU.
5.) Start name change paperwork to change my name to..a.. Jasmine. .or Mercedes.
In case I have to become a stripper.
If this military dik cut off thing doesn’t work out for me.
This will go to the supreme court and be overturned.
The President has the power to do what he did.
The President welcomes the chance to put into the law books a ban on crazy people going into the military.
This was the plan all along. President Trump knew that there would be some nut job federal judge appointed by Obama or Clinton that would rule exactly as they did……and now it will go to the supreme court and will be ruled upon and stand as case law.
Hey judge! Do the words “Commander-in-Chief” ring a bell?
Mr. Flee, sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought… maybe you should get the 36 inch rack, keep the cock like Mrs Jenner, opt for transitioning status just in case the military option doesn’t work…circus side shows at county fair’s will still be an option. Best of luck in this modern world.
Wanting to serve psychopaths in their treasonous endeavors and believing they are helping US is already a sign of being seriously mentally defective. The uniform itself is a good indicator of some type of issue similar to pigs and I have no problem with them being cannon fodder. They’re no help already and they will follow their traitorous orders, just as they are now, and believe they are “patriots”. Their boss, cheeto-in-chief, will direct the rainbow brigade just the same as the he-men, as he is a zionist muppet. What a stupid distraction for boot lickers.