State AGs Urge Congress to Protect Transgender Service Members from Trump Ban

Attorneys general from 18 states and Washington, D.C. are the latest group to push back against President Donald Trump’s proposal to bar transgender Americans from serving in the military.

As the Senate prepares to take up its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the attorneys general from states in every region of the continental U.S. sent a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Friday, asking it to protect transgender people from discrimination by the military as it drafts the bill.

A letter was also sent to the House Armed Services Committee, though the House passed its version of the bill earlier this week.

The letter was written in response to a plan introduced by Trump via Twitter on Wednesday, in which he wrote that “the United States government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” citing “tremendous costs and disruption.”

The attorneys general wrote that the proposal “has no place in our Armed Services. It is an insult to the courageous transgender service members who hold vital roles in our military and continue to make tremendous sacrifices for our country…It is inconsistent with the laws and policies of many States, and with fundamental notions of fairness and equality.”