Supreme Court Backs Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Trump’s trangender military ban can be enforced while legal challenges proceed, effectively barring trans people from serving in the military.

The 6-3 decision overturned the injunction issued by a U.S. District Court, which prevented the policy from taking place. 

In January, Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” saying that transgender troops did not meet the standard required of the armed forces, and directed the Department of Defense to enact a ban. 

“A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member,” the Executive Order says. Trump signed a similar order during his previous term in 2017.  

The lawsuit was filed by the GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) and National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in January, under the argument that the ban violates equal protection laws. Seven of the plaintiffs are currently serving in the military, while another is hoping to enlist. 

The trans military ban is just one of several actions Trump has taken against the transgender community—signing other Executive Orders barring them from updating their gender markers on their federal documents, and threatening to cut federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming-care for minors. 

Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented in the ruling.